Changes
by Lilly Emerald
Summary: It's two years in the future and things have gone horribly wrong. Elena is dead and Damon desperately ask for Bonnie's help. He asks her to cast a spell to send him back in time to change things...
1. Chapter 1

I know I have other stories that I am working on I promise that I will complete all of them. I promise

Chapter One

Damon stared at the half empty glass of neat vodka and picked it up, making the clear liquid swirl a little bit before taking the last sip. It didn't affect him in the slightest although he so desperately wanted it to. He wanted the drink to make him numb...to help him forget. But every time he closed his eyes he could still see her. Her skin pale, dressed in black, stiff as a bored in that coffin and trapped in death.

The church had been full of people. Elena had been dearly loved by all those that met her, it didn't matter if they had loved like a lover, friend or family. She had influenced a lot of people. It seemed like the whole town had been there to mourn her. The priest's words had seemed meaningless to him as he sat at the back of the church trying not to be noticed. Her friends had all stood up to say their piece. Bonnie, Matt, Caroline. Jeremy and Jenna. All with tears in their eyes. But he hadn't said anything because there was nothing left to say. She was gone.

But inside his mind his thoughts were racing around at a furious pace. It was all his fault. He hadn't protected her enough. It was his job he was the only one left who could do anything about this. After the funeral which had been almost a month ago now things had been a lot worse. It seemed like Elena's death had triggered everything else that followed...Matt's death came next which made Caroline go into a rage and storm off on her own without listening to him or Tyler to face off...Stefan.

Caroline had been killed by Stefan because he knew every move they were going to make. Jenna had been the next victim, she had been walking home by herself and that's when Katherine and Stefan had struck at her causing Jeremy to act stupid and go after them.

When had things started to go so horribly wrong? How had he let Katherine get her claws into Stefan and persuaded him to join her in getting rid of Klaus? The two had teamed up perfectly and had succeeded in killing him eventually...but Katherine had poisoned Stefan's mind beyond repair. The time in the tomb with her had driven him insane. And an evil Stefan was something you didn't want to have around.

He hated this. He just wanted it to stop and for things to be back to the way they were...

Something seemed to click inside his mind. It was a stupid idea and there were so many ways in which it could go wrong. But just to be able to see her again. To make a difference. To stop things...He needed to see Bonnie and fast.

...

"No way Damon. Do you realise you're the only defence that this town has left? You me and Tyler. And that's it. At how powerful Stefan has become...he kept Klaus alive long enough to learn everything he knows and then they killed him. Now Stefan is almost invincible. I can't risk you..."

"Thanks so much for your concern Bonnie. And...I don't care what you want. You know this makes sense. I have faith that you can do this...look how powerful you've become in the past two years. You can do this Bonnie. And if you don't I will just find another witch who can..."

"There's hardly anyone left alive in this town now Damon," but he could tell she was weakening.

"Don't you want things to be different? To have Elena back again? To have everyone back?"

"Of course. More then anything. You have no idea..." her voice started to shake "But you do realise that I don't have a control over where I send you. Or even if this can be done at all...as far as I know it's never been attempted before."

Damon was pleading with her now with everything he had. "Bonnie there's a first time for everything. And I have every confidence in you. We have to at least try this."

She had finally given in he could tell.

Finally she nodded. "It will take me a while to get the ingredients together and it will be dangerous to go outside with the recent deaths. You'll have to come with me."

"I think I can do that. Tomorrow night then."

He prayed and hoped that this would work. It better work. A vampire was never supposed to pray for anything and he didn't want to do it again!

Just to see Elena and hear her voice again was all that he wanted and he knew that once he had that he would be able to change everything. If Bonnie could work this spell he could certainly change the future. He was Damon Salvatore after all...

TBC

Please pretty please leave a review. Like it hate it? Would love to know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for all of my lovely reviews they mean a lot to me to know that you are enjoying this. I promise the next chapter will be longer It's just I wanted to get this posted and not much time to write it because I have to walk to work in the snow soon lol. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Two

It actually took a few days for Bonnie to gather all of the ingredients together. When the potion she concocted was done it looked very disgusting indeed and he made a face when she handed it to him.

"I still don't know where you came up with this crazy plan, Damon," she asked him.

Damon shrugged trying not to sound excited as he was. "Alcohol."

Bonnie rolled her eyes.

He had spent so long feeling hurt and angry at the world and in pain. This was the first time that he actually felt a bit of hope. He was nervous too. The spell was highly unpredictable and he could end up anywhere. "So explain it to me again," he wanted to be sure about everything. "Is this going to be like back to the future? Two of me running around everywhere? That would be confusing and weird. "

The witch laughed at him and he suddenly felt like a child asking all these questions. "It's not like I know anything about this spell either. It's not even recorded anywhere. I'm kind of making this up as I go along. Which is why I think you should seriously reconsider this," she warned.

"There's a possibility of this working though right? So if there is there's no chance of me not doing this. I want to make things right."

There was a silence and Bonnie finally nodded. "There's something I never thought I'd here you say Damon. But in magic anything is possible. So, what I'm hoping in this spell is that you will wake up in the past as your past self. There will only be one of you...it's just you'll have a whole new set of memories inside your mind. You'll know all about the future and it will be easier for you to interact with people in the past that way without having to worry that there is two of you all the time."

"And that's going to make me sound like a crazy person," Damon muttered.

"Look at it this way. You'll sound crazy either way. I don't know how you're going to be able to change things or if you should tell people the truth or when you should. You're going to have to work that one out on your own. And you're stalling?"

He shook his head. "No, it's just the smell of that thing...do I really have to drink it."

"Yep. And once you do you realise that this is a one way trip. There's no coming back ok? You change things or you don't. But anything you do, even something that may seem insignificant will change this future. I won't be the same as I am now. Everything will change."

Damon took in the big picture of what he was doing and sighed taking the potion. "I know what I'm doing Bonnie. And I'm sorry about how and if this will be affecting you."

"It's ok Damon. I understand what you're doing. And anything is better then this future where I've lost most of the people that matter to me. I want you to bring them back ok? Bring Elena back."

Damon took a deep breath and took a sip of the potion to prepare his taste buds and it almost made him want to be sick. But he summoned every ounce of his courage because he sure as hell wouldn't admit that doing this scared him, and he downed the whole potion in one go.

He started to feel dizzy and everything went blurry. Then there was nothing but darkness.

_Stefan had been in the tomb for months before they finally agreed with Elija that he lift the curse from the tomb and release him._

_Katherine had been poising him with her words of hate and confusion. First of all despite everything Elena had gone down to the tomb to visit him and he hadn't even seen her. Soon the only time he had talked to Damon was when he wanted a supply of blood. _

_Instead of blocking out that manipulative bitch's voice he let them into his mind and he let himself be brainwashed by her._

_When he was released things seemed normal at first. Things between him and Elena where still strained. She still felt that they were better off apart that way no one could black male them._

_But then one night Stefan disappeared seemingly off of the face of the earth. The deaths in the town started to mount up. People disappearing once or twice a month, being found drained of blood. No one wanted to believe that it was Stefan but Damon was the very first to suspect it and he went back to the tomb to find that Katherine was gone also. This was a year after Stefan had vanished._

_So Katherine and Stefan had teamed up. But at that point Damon had no idea just how bad things would get. _

_Not only had they teamed up but they had teamed up with Elija and Klaus. At first persuading them they wanted to join them._

_Damon had been patrolling the town every night since the deaths started and he caught Stefan in the act of killing by the town's waterfall. A couple out taking a romantic walk. _

"_It must be nice to feed on human blood again after all this time trying to avoid it," he had snarled at his brother, after fighting with him and scaring the couple away. He would have to find them later and compel them to forget but there were more important things to worry about at that moment. _

"_You're such an idiot Damon. Those people were better off dead before they tell the world about us!"_

"_Why are you doing this?" Damon asked, trying not to show any emotion or weakness. _

"_The same reason you were. Because it's fun!"_

"_That's not it brother. I know you. You wouldn't..."_

"_I've stopped trying to be someone I'm not Damon," Stefan had a cold look in his eyes that actually made Damon afraid. "It's too hard. Katherine and I are together now. It's easier this way."_

"_I figured out that much," Damon hissed at him, taking a step forward. "But you can't love her. She isn't capable of it."_

"_Oh, she is. But me? More like I'm in lust with her. But you don't have to worry about Klaus anymore I took care of the problem for you."_

_He has no emotions. I'm trying to hide mine but he really doesn't have any anymore, Damon realised in shock. And then he registered what Stefan had said._

"_You what?"_

"_Yes. We tricked them into thinking that we were working with them but Katherine has powerful friends. Witches. With binding spells so powerful we managed to trap Klaus and kill Elija...I'm surprised you didn't wonder at that fools disappearance. And I learned everything I needed to know about Klaus. We found a special kind of wood that can harm and kill him and he's gone. Now it's me you have to worry about."_

"_Stefan..." Damon knew then that there was nothing he could do about his brother and it scared him. No matter how much he had hated him, he had always been able to count on Stefan being the good one. Now nothing was the same._

_Stefan smiled evilly. "You can tell Elena that this is all her fault, She shouldn't have played me. She shouldn't have started to fall in love with you!"_

"_Stay away from Elena! I will Kill you."_

"_I don't think you're capable of that yet."_

When Damon woke up it took him a moment to focus. He was trying to remember a dream...something about Stefan...

He was sure he would remember things eventually. But now he needed to figure out where he was. A cemetery. What was he doing there? He didn't remember...it was all blurry. There was fog and the sound of a crow.

He sat up and could see a girl with brown hair and brown eyes quickly gathering up her things. She hadn't seen him. She was scared of the fog and the crow...they should really go away. Could he make them go away?

The girl was very pretty. And then as he watched her running away from him he remembered everything. "Elena..."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

So he was back this far. Right back to where it all started and he had already screwed things up. The crow and the fog...he had been there with Elena...but originally he had done those things to scare her. He was a vampire it, was what he did. It had all been fun and games to him then, but now he knew so much better. He knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of someone's fun and games and it wasn't pretty.

He was standing up now and trying to clear the last effects of the spell from his foggy mind. So he had scared the girl off. It was fine...he could still change things, still work according to the plan. She didn't even know that it was him.

So what was the plan? Should he start to change things from now on or wait until a certain point in the timeline? Was there a certain small moment he had to find that would change everything?

He had a feeling that he should start with Stefan somehow. Winning Elena's love and trust was important to him as his very own existence...everything's existence. But Stefan...he had a lot of work to do with Stefan Salvatore. It was Stefan who made that unbearable future and it was mainly down to him. Elena was at fault too but if it wasn't for him...so he would have to change his relationship with Stefan. Be more...brotherly. But surely he couldn't change things too much unless he said outright hey I'm from the future and I have stuff to warn you about...that would send everyone running.

Oh this was going to be horrible. Although he had gotten used to protecting people and he was a changed man and everything blah, blah, blah...this was going to be so humiliating for him to just go up to his brother and start being...nice. Even after the past years he still wasn't used to it at all

He found himself outside the high school and fighting with himself angrily. This went against everything that was his nature but if he wanted to spend more time with Stefan and Elena then this was what he had to do. He should probably still meet Stefan the same way. Let it all out of their systems the hundred plus years their feud had lasted for...the big fight. But he was sure it would take more then a night of fighting to get all their issues sorted and he had to figure out a better way of doing things.

So here he was compelling people to let him be enrolled at the high school trying not to be seen or noticed by anyone...although he was sure that word would get around eventually. Especially if Caroline had anything to with things,

Caroline. For a moment his thoughts spun out of control as he thought about all the people's lives he could change. If he wanted to he could stop her becoming a vampire...although they had needed her to help them at times. It was a hard decision and he didn't like the idea that he was playing God.

"Wow, two new boys in one day? This must mean it's going to be a good week."

Oh shit it was Caroline. You think of the devil and she appears in all of her designer clothes glory.

"Maybe if you have a free second I could show you around..."

"And make this into one of those romantic comedy high school movies where you show me what groups popular and who to avoid?" he smirked at her. "No thanks."

He hadn't meant to say that, the words had just slipped out automatically. He rolled his eyes and mentally started counting to ten in his head. It wasn't that bad it wasn't it wasn't, it would get better. There were worse things...

"I'm sorry, that was rude of me. My name's Damon Salvatore. And I can tell right away that you are part of the group that I need to be hanging around with."

She beamed up at him her eyes all wide eyed and sparkly. "You guessed right," she seemed to have completely missed his earlier sarcasm.

"Who else is in your group then?"

Caroline linked her arm through his and gave him a flirtatious smile. "There's Elena Gilbert. She really rules the school here. If you're not friends with her then you really are nobody. And her friend Bonnie Bennet. She's kind of weird...she's into all this supernatural crap at the moment. You know, palm reading and witchcraft...but they've been best friends for ever. We all have been friends," there was an edge of something in her voice that Damon couldn't really give a name for. Bitterness or competitiveness. He couldn't decide.

"Would you like to meet them?"

He untangled his arm from hers. He shouldn't really lead her on like this but...it was a nicer way of doing things then he had originally. He had used Caroline to get what he wanted and find out information, it hadn't been pretty.

"Maybe another time. I think I should get to my first class."

...

He stood outside the boarding house willing himself to go inside and get things over with but it was hard. He really didn't want to see Stefan ever again they way he was feeling towards his brother...but he had to.

"The crow's a bit much don't you think?" Stefan's first words to him and he automatically replied back in the same way.

"Wait until you can see what I do with the fog!"

"What are you doing here?" Stefan ignored his sarcasm completely just like he normally always did.

"Well...I couldn't miss your first day at school could I?"

"It's been fifteen years Damon. Why are you here?" Stefan snapped again. "You hate small towns they're boring. You've got nothing to do."

"Well I could ask you the same question. But I think it would be summed up in one little word. Elena. She took my breath away. Elena. She's a dead ringer for Katherine. How does it feel to be in her world? Does it make you feel alive?" He couldn't help it. The bitterness of everything came pouring out of him with no control. He had to stop this now.

"She's not Katherine!" said Stefan angrily but he sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"No," Damon answered him softly. "She's not Katherine. She's so much more then Katherine ever was. She offers you hope and comfort that the world isn't such a bad place. And you don't deserve her."

"Stop it," Stefan finally looked like he was going to loose control of things. "You're talking like you know her? How can you know her?"

"Neither one of us deserve her Stefan," Damon continued. "I haven't come here to fight with you . Well...maybe a little. I..."

"You're talking in riddles Damon," Stefan snarled at him. "And I said to stop!" with that Stefan vamped out, throwing himself at his brother and pushing them both out of the window, glass shattering around them. It was a long fall to the ground but Damon barely felt the impact. Stubborn son of a bitch, he thought angrily. This was going to be so hard.

"Very impressed," he said as Stefan staggered to his feet.

"It's all fun and games to you isn't it Damon? But wherever you go people die. But not here. I won't allow it." That was one small thing that had changed. Only two deaths, the boy and girl. He had nothing to do with Vicky and he had no plans to be involved with her at all if he could help it!

"Damon please. After all these years can't we just give things a rest?" Stefan sounded tired and this was one of the big moments he could change, he could feel it.

"I'm sure we could come to an understanding," he smiled at the look of shock and surprise that came across Stefan's face. And the look of hope.

"If we really have to. But it's not just me you know. You have a lot of work to do too." God, he sounded like a shrink!

"Damon where's my ring?" Stefan had suddenly noticed it was missing.

Damon opened his hand which had been clenched into a fist. He opened it slowly the ring in the centre of his palm. It would be so easy to run with the ring in his strong grasp. To run as far away as possible and let Stefan be weak and run the chance of burning into dust. But then that would make him as bad as his brother. And the chance of being with Elena would be over.

"It's right here," he said with a shrug and walked over to Stefan and handed it back. "Don't once ever think you're stronger then me brother," he warned. Once again it just slipped out but if he had already changed things just a tiny bit he didn't think it would matter.

"I think we woke Zach up."

Stefan watched his brother walking away from him in a stunned silence. Had he and Damon come to an agreement? An understanding? He wasn't sure how long it would last knowing Damon. They would have to talk some more. Because something was different that was for sure. He didn't know what it was but he wasn't acting like Damon usually acted. It had started off that way and they had fought and argued...but then Damon had actually backed down.

He didn't know what was going on but he was going to find out.

TBC

Thank you so so much once again for all my reviews. I have a question for you: does Caroline stay a vampire and end up with Tyler or does she stay human and be with matt. Who do you want her to end up with either way? And anything else you guys want to see changed apart from Elena/Damon of course? Ok that's a lot of questions lol.. But I would love to know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Damon had to admit that he was enjoying himself far more then he should be. He was meant to be on a mission here. He was meant to be saving the world. That called for the serious, calculating and cunning Damon. The Damon who was good at planning and making hard decisions that could affect everyone. . But instead he was feeling ...could the word be happy? Joyful, or playful?

Just seeing Elena again had been a joy to him. Making him feel things that a creature like him shouldn't feel. Even after everything he had been through in the past two years, gaining acceptance from Elena and her friends, protecting them and helping them and the rest of the town as much as he could, he still felt like he was a monster and that would probably always be the same for him. He felt that he didn't deserve to be happy. What he had said to Stefan had been the truth...neither of them deserved Elena.

He had been devastated beyond belief to learn that she was dead and to see her funeral was the last thing he had ever wanted to have happened. Even though he would have to gain everyone's acceptance all over again he was willing to do this if it meant spending one more second with Elena...because he didn't want to experience anything like that ever again.

And that was why he was in this joyful and playful, if a bit reckless and careless mood, when Elena came over to look for Stefan. He still told her about Katherine being Stefan's ex because he had to plant a bit of doubt in her mind somehow except he tried not to make her sound too uncomfortable this time round. Just a slight warning that Stefan wasn't all that he seemed. But then again neither was he. But she was going to find out all this stuff anyway. He was just giving her a warning that was all. Of course he remembered then that he was still causing friction between himself and his brother and knew that he had to cut out this reckless behaviour. But then, hadn't it been this behaviour that had led him to think of this spell in the first place?

It was also this behaviour that led to him to allow Caroline to introduce him to Elena and Bonnie and Stefan. Before she even had a chance to say his sir name she was interrupted.

"Damon is actually..."

"We're brothers," Damon grinned at Bonnie and Caroline's shocked look, and Stefan's expression at seeing him enrolled in high school was priceless.

"Well this is something I never thought you were capable of," Stefan was looking hard at Damon trying to figure it out and that was one of the first moments that Damon almost caved and told him everything just to get it over with, although he had a feeling that now wasn't the right time and that they weren't ready yet. Especially seeing as Elena didn't even know about the supernatural yet.

"Everyone has to go to school Stefan," Caroline said in astonishment.

"Not everyone obeys the rules of society ...any of the time," Stefan answered her if a little too seriously.

"So, you're a rebel huh?" Elena was making an opinion. One he didn't mind at all. Didn't everyone love the bad boy rebel instead of the perfect prince? Wasn't it this kind of behaviour that attracted Elena to him in the first place? He liked to think so. And then he had gone and ruined everything with the snap of Jeremy's neck even though the kid hadn't died it had ruined everything. Well he wasn't thinking about that yet...

The current problem would come when she knew the truth. That he had killed people and what was his true nature. He would have to make sure that when she found out she knew that he had changed.

"Well I'm not perfect," was his mysterious answer.

The next few days Damon spent mingling with other students and making friends earning himself the title of being popular and mysterious just like Stefan. Stefan had tried out for the football team. Tried and actually got on the team earning him an enemy in Tyler Lockwood which Damon found very hilarious indeed.

He had managed to be invited to a dinner that Elena had planned to help get Bonnie and Stefan to get along better. It was an invite by Caroline who had started to cling to him in a very annoying way. If he didn't know better she even went so far as to call them boyfriend and girlfriend even though they had only talked a few times. He had made sure to tell Elena this at the dinner and had tried to get the stone cold look off his little brother's face all because he had been invited in as well.

He felt free, more then he had in a long, long time. The first time round at this point he had been busy using Caroline and attacking Vicky. This time round he was managing to actually be at the football game with everybody else and relax and actually have a good time. Last time he had been the bad guy and this time he was ...being accepted, sort of. It was a good feeling. The only person he was aware of who had attacked Vicky was Tyler when his advances were too strong and Jeremy had stopped him. In fact he could see the two fighting right this second and Stefan being Stefan had intervened and got his hand injured in the process. Elena, not being an idiot had spotted that he had healed much more quickly then he should have.

So he wasn't the only one who was careless he thought a little smugly. Of course he had gone for the more obvious blood and guts way of being obvious but Stefan still made mistakes.

He also noticed that Elena had been wearing a necklace that was new, filled with vervain, no doubt to stop him.

It annoyed him. He hadn't done anything to suggest anything of foul play. He had just talked to Elena and he hadn't killed anyone...not even the history teacher Mr tanner, who he had decided to keep alive because he thought it would be much more fun to watch him annoy Stefan in class.

So why did Stefan still not trust him? He was trying to do everything right. He had even let his brother and Elena have their so called epic kiss under the light of the comet. He grudgingly had to give Stefan ten out of ten for that one. But he was sure he could do just as good if not better when the time came. Please don't say he had to have the chick flick heart to heart talk he had been avoiding? He had thought his actions would have spoken louder then words but no such luck.

He told himself to be patient and wait until everyone knew the truth about everything and then he would have the talk with Stefan but patience had never really been his strongest virtue. Not even a little bit!

...

_Elena watched the snow fall outside the window her hand pressed to the glass watching it fall soft and thick to the ground, covering everything in a silence that she found very creepy. _

"_I feel trapped Damon," she whispered softly. "Like an animal in a cage. He has us right where he wants us doesn't he? Except that I can't believe it's really him doing all this. A person can't just disappear for a few months and be a changed person as if overnight killing people. It can't be him it just can't."_

"_The sooner you accept the truth the easier it will be."_

_She turned and ran from him, running as fast as she could up the stairs and slamming the door to her bedroom behind her, feeling like a little kid throwing a tantrum. But she hadn't been able to listen to his words anymore even though she knew they were true._

_Later that night when Damon had gone to check on Elena he found her bedroom was empty. He searched the house for her shouting out her name but there was no answer. He pushed open the front door almost in a blind panic now and used all his supernatural senses to find her. With his vampire speed he caught up to her. She was walking slowly as if in a daze or sleep walking towards wickery Bridge. The place where her parents had died in that car crash._

_He saw Stefan standing there, a dark shadow in the whiteness surrounding them. He could sense his thoughts, compelling Elena to walk for miles in the frost and ice until her bare feet started to bleed, to walk forever and far away from Damon._

"_Leave her alone!" He shouted and then Stefan was laughing. _

"_She said she felt trapped Damon I'm setting her free," his laughter echoed on and on._

"_But the trouble is that she will never be free. Neither of you will be free from what you have done to me."_

_Then he was gone and there was a crash of thunder somewhere in the sky above them. A snow storm. Elena fell to the ground instantly and he was right there to catch her._

"_It's ok I got you. I will always catch you," he whispered wishing he had a blanket for her, or several. She was shaking and shivering and he couldn't make it stop._

"_It's all our fault," she kept whispering._

_He stood up swiftly and moved with the speed of lightening back towards the main town centre. He had to get her into the warm before it was too late._

_**TBC**_

_**Thank you again for everyone's reviews they do mean a lot to me. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas! And I'm sorry for the cliff hanger**_


	5. Chapter 5

**This is what probably would have been the end of the last chapter...which I wasn't that happy with but it was getting so late for writing! Few spoilers for you in this chapter about the pairings. Just so you know in my story Matt and Bonnie happen in the past where Damon is without any interference from Damon so that's why they are together in the future. A bit AU from the show then sorry to all those who like Jeremy/Bonnie. You will have to see who he ends up with and I have a surprise for Stefan planned too. I hope you enjoy. I'm so sorry it's so short!**

Chapter five

_Damon watched her as she slept, still looking ever the angel. She was perfect in every way but he could see her weakening every day and he didn't know how to stop it. She was finally warm, wrapped in a blanket with a hot water bottle and as soon as she woke up he would get her a tea with more sugar then most people had because he remembered she liked it sweet otherwise it was the most disgusting drink in the world...her words. _

_His thoughts were cut off as she began to stir in her sleep and then she sat up abruptly her eyes wide as she looked around, trying to remember where she was. He was right beside her in a flash of a second. "Elena it's ok. You're safe now."_

"_No one is ever going to be safe again. Are they Damon? He said that this was my fault. Our fault...I don't know what to do. How do we convince him that I never meant to hurt him that..." she was babbling out words so quickly that he almost couldn't understand. _

"_Elena," he said firmly, placing a hand gently on her shoulder and trying so hard not to use compulsion to calm her down. "Nothing we do now is going to change him. We can't say sorry and we can't change what's happened. What's done is done," he hesitated. "I know this is unfair of me to ask you Elena, but I have to know...do you regret anything?"_

_He saw a deep sadness in the depths of her eyes which nearly broke him and he had to look away. She took his hand and slowly linked her fingers with his a small gesture that she had done countless times but still meant so much to him._

"_No," she said her voice sounding strong for once. "I have no regrets. But I wish things had been done differently. He just disappeared and when he was trapped in the tomb with Katherine he became so different and we had grown closer together. And then obviously when the curse was lifted she had played all those mind games on him and it was all so confusing. Him and her me and you...I wish we had just sorted everything out sooner. That I had figured out my feelings for you earlier and I could have talked to him more about it but instead...It all came rushing out too quickly and because of me he has become this monster..."_

"_He was in that tomb for a long time Elena. And because of her games she got him to crave human blood far more then I ever did. When they got out she must have put it in his head to drink human blood somehow and you know how that makes him. "_

_Elena nodded, tears in her eyes. _

"_It's all of our faults," said Bonnie from the doorway to the room. "And we have to find a way to sort this out. Elena you know what we have to do now don't you?" _

_Elena turned to her best friend, knowing that she was only trying to help but still not wanting to believe that they were having this conversation._

"_We have to kill him don't we? And Katherine."_

"_Now's the big question," said Tyler. "You guys have never been able to kill Katherine before. She's your weakness...she's always been able to talk her way out of it or you know, just smile at you."_

_Damon narrowed his eyes at Tyler dangerously. "Watch it puppy!" he insulted him._

_Tyler raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey. I'm just saying."_

"_We all want to watch out for Elena," said Jeremy. "And you know I hate to agree with Tyler on any occasion but...he's right."_

"_Things have changed." Damon stood up and looked up at them all. Jenna, Jeremy and Alaric. Bonnie and Matt holding hands. Caroline stood by Tyler his arms wrapped around her protectively. _

"_Katherine no longer has that power over me. I'm in love with Elena...even if some of you aren't used to that yet. I know that they are different people. I respect Elena and I want to protect her more then anything. So I will do whatever it takes and because of that I can kill Katherine."_

"_Can you kill your own brother?" asked Caroline softly. "Or can Elena?"_

"_I don't think either of them should have to," said Matt suddenly speaking up. "We have vampires, a witch and werewolf all in the same room. If we're not a force to be reckoned with then who is?"_

"_Klaus was wasn't he?" asked Jenna. "And didn't Stefan learn everything he knew from Klaus and then kill him?"_

"_Stefan has weakness," Damon answered their questions trying to sound brave when he was just as worried as the rest of them. "He only had Klaus held captive because Katherine has powerful friends but if we have them on their own we stand a chance."_

"_If you say so," Jenna muttered. "But for us humans in the group I still say running for the hills is the best option."_

"_No way am I leaving Elena or going anywhere without her!" Jeremy practically shouted._

"_Neither am I," Matt said bravely. He was dealing surprisingly well after they had told him about the supernatural and Stefan and everything for his own protection._

_"I meant all of us!" Jenna shot back._

_Elena stood up hanging onto Damon's arm for support still a little shaky from her recent experience in the snow. "Guys please," she said to them all, looking at each one of them in turn. "I know you're all doing this to look out for me and because you care about me but ...you're wrong. It's mine and Damon's and Stefan's fault even if Stefan won't admit his part in any of this. And we are going to get things all sorted out one way or the other and I don't know what I would do if any of you got hurt. And I mean it. End of discussion. None of you get involved"_

_They all looked about ready to argue some more and Damon was shaking his head with slight amusement in his eye's as the old Elena made a return. Even though he knew they would all ignore her and she knew it as well, it was good that she had a fire in her eyes again. He never wanted to see that fire go out..._

_..._

"So," said Caroline her voice a very, very loud and bubbly annoyance that was giving him a headache and making him want to run away. He had to remind himself countless times as they carried their lunch trays to a table, that she got better and she had managed to somehow become a friend in the future and that he really, really didn't want to drain her of all her blood to get her just to shut up.

"There's this party coming up that most of the town is invited to..." she paused and he thought thank God for that, but then she began waving a hand in front of his face and he had to grab her wrist gently and lay her hand down on the table. She blinked in surprise. " Earth to Damon. Hello? Anyone there?"

"Please don't block my view again" he muttered and was grateful that she didn't hear him. "What where you saying?" He could see Elena and Stefan sitting a few tables away smiling at each other and he was eaten up with Jealousy and he hated it.

"There's a party coming up that the Mayor gives every year. The Founders party. It celebrates the founding of Mystic falls and I was wondering if you would go with me?"

He rolled his eyes and nodded remembering how this night had gone. How could he change things this time? Well he was sure that if he wasn't feeding off Caroline and using and manipulating her and compelling her to do what he wanted then Elena wouldn't find out. Also Stefan had had no reason to suspect him of anything so he was sure that he would be escaping that session in a room full of vervain. He could live without that. He still couldn't believe that Stefan had been capable of spiking Caroline's drink and using her as bate...if Elena had ever found out. Well...in the future he was capable of much worse then that. Maybe they could actually have a normal event...he could try and seduce the fair Elena. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't have to try that hard. Stefan was good but...he was sure that he could make Elena at least think about him in some way.

Of course when things actually did happen he was going to have to be careful and delicate about his dear baby brother's feelings, just like Elena wanted to stop him going off the deep end. And he was going to have to start patching things up with Stefan at this party.

Oh it was going to be so much fun!

**Ok these chapters will have to start getting longer won't they? Otherwise I will never get to series 2! Let's just say I have an ending planned it's just getting there. I hope that explains why Damon can't just go after Elena straight away lol! Thank you all so much for my reviews hope you will be patient with me. I never seem to have much time to write at the moment work is always so busy at Christmas and I am seeing family on days off. And am very sleepy! Anyway I will update ASAP!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

It was night time and it seemed like she was in another world, not boring Mystic falls where she'd lived all her life. Everything was silent and everything looked perfect...like it was the set of a movie or something, before they had started filming. There weren't any cars or people walking their dogs late at night, or jogging or running or...anything. It was just her. Normally that would have made her feel frightened but somehow she felt perfectly safe...as if someone was watching over her.

She continued to walk staring around her in wonder as if everything was brand new. She could feel the moonlight shining down on her making things seem touched by silver and she could hear the wind in the trees, the sound of a nightingale that she would have normally missed. The sound of the waterfalls of Mystic falls.

That was where she was headed and then she realised what she was wearing. A beautiful white dress made of silk and shoes that were the closest thing to glass slippers that she had ever seen. She had little fake diamonds intertwined in her hair only seen at a certain angle in the light and she held a bouquet of white roses and on her left finger...the most amazing engagement ring she had ever seen. It was white gold with a single diamond sparkling away at her, making her smile. She could feel the inscription engraved on the inside making her smile even more. I'll always be there for you.

It wasn't something like I will always love you, a name of a song she hated and something she was sure many other people had written on their engagement rings. But it meant the same thing and she was glad it was on her ring. Even if lots of other people had the same idea this was special for her.

She made her way up to the waterfall, watching as the water spilled into the river below. Miraculously no water got in her hair or ruined her dress and that was when she saw him. He appeared out of the slight mist that was made by the splashing of the water behind them and she couldn't see him clearly.

She tried to call out but at first she couldn't find her voice. "Stefan?"

Instantly she felt that that was wrong, that she had made a huge betrayal in saying that and when she saw Damon's face she flinched at the look he was giving her. Tears sprang to her eyes and she reached out to him. "I'm sorry I don't know what's happening..." she felt as if she was fading, being pulled away from him when she had only just found him.

"You will know Elena," his voice sounded so sad and distant.

"Are we saying goodbye?" she knew the dream wouldn't last much longer and she was trying desperately to fight it. It could be such a lovely dream.

"Only for a little while I promise. We'll be together again..."

...

Elena woke up with a sudden gasp of breath. She placed her head in her hands hoping the pounding of her heart would slow down, but no such luck in that happening. She looked around her and then suddenly remembered her necklace that Stefan had given her and reached up her fingers to touch it.

Wow, confusing much? Why was she dreaming about Damon? Stefan...she was with Stefan wasn't she? She wanted to be with Stefan. It was true she didn't know if it was love yet...it had only been a few weeks but...she had thought it was going to lead to love. It had felt passionate enough to be love. It had felt epic for her. So why was she dreaming about his brother? It was confusing and it was giving her one hell of a headache!

She slowly got up and thought she had better eat something, it might make her feel better. Something ridiculously unhealthy...but she was watching her weight. She didn't stay looking this good with no effort. She couldn't afford to indulge in that sort of thing.

And then she remembered. Oh yes, the founder's party. Mrs lockwood had been asking for her family heirlooms for the party. Jenna was watching the morning news and raving on about the news guy...Logan something who she used to date and Jeremy was throwing a hissy fit about the pocket watch that was supposed to belong to him. Even though she explained that she wasn't giving it away it was a loan...sometimes her brother could be such a ...such a teenager!

She needed to talk to her best friend about all this...although at the moment with Bonnie not trusting Stefan much at all these days she wasn't sure she was the best one to talk to about all this. But who else did she have? Caroline was more then likely to tell the whole school and she could never face the world again! It wasn't as if she could ever tell Stefan!

Speaking of Stefan when there was a knock on the door there he was looking as handsome as ever...but for some reason she was feeling uncomfortable as she kissed him and it was making her nervous...she was glad when he stopped their very heavy make out session and that made her feel even more guilty and she really didn't know where all this was coming from. She didn't like it at all.

When Bonnie came over she was more interested in not having a date to the founder's party then anything else...so Elena felt it was hardly appropriate for her to be bringing up her relationship problems.

The party was its usual boring affair...all the towns folk gathered at the mayor's house but it was something Elena did because she was supposed to. Elena Gilbert never went to a rave, never came back drunk or high or anything that was a loss of control. She had a sense of having to look out for her family and family image had always been a part of that...although her parents and her aunt never asked anything of her she always felt that she had to behave.

As she showed Stefan all of the history of the town she had a sense that he was like that too. That made her smile. Here she was on familiar ground with no weird dreams to haunt her when she was awake making her doubt herself...

And then came the shock of seeing Stefan and Damon's name on the original party invite list...and Damon's explanation that they were their ancestors didn't sit right with her but she had to believe it because what else could explain it?

Seeing Damon made her feel flushed and embarrassed and she knew that he sensed it by the strange smile he was giving her. But he looked genuinely puzzled when she turned away from him and headed off to find her friends.

"You ok Elena?" asked Bonnie. Surprisingly Bonnie was sitting next to Matt and Elena found herself glad that at least they weren't both alone...even though she herself felt surprisingly alone. She had this problem that she couldn't talk to anyone about because she didn't even know what it meant herself.

"I'm ...I'm fine." Her hesitation wasn't lost on Matt who frowned up at her.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here," she was looking at Matt not Bonnie.

Matt shrugged. "I used to go to these parties with you all the time...and I figured since it's the town's founder's party it's an open invite. And Bonnie's good company."

Elena nodded. " I had this dream that confused me about Stefan and Damon..."

"And Damon?" Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "Where did that come from?"

"That's what I would like to know. But we can talk about this all later. I suppose I'd better mingle," she gestured to the crowds around her. "Good impressions and all that." She didn't think that Matt would like to hear about her romantic life at all at the moment but she had wanted so badly to talk to Bonnie. Maybe one day they would be comfortable friends again but not now.

Bonnie watched her friend go feeling a little sad. "She's always trying to do what's best for other people...she should take some time out for herself."

"I think Stefan's helping her with that," Matt said a little bitterly. "But it would help if she knew what she wanted and I don't think she knows herself what she wants any of the time."

"Oh Matt I'm sorry...I didn't mean..." Bonnie was instantly embarrassed.

"It's...most days it's ok. You know? But then I just get so angry. I find it hard...she lost her parents it's a messed up time and I know that can change a person and how they feel...but it was out of the blue her dumping me. And now all of a sudden she's with someone who...in all appearances is a million miles better then me..."

Bonnie shook her head. "You can't go comparing yourself to anyone Matt because you're special in you're own way. Don't forget that. I'm sure you're meant for someone special too...and that you will be meant for special things."

Matt laughed. "Like winning the lottery?"

"I mean it Matt."

"I know. It's just I wish things would get easier."

...

"Elena you've been ignoring me," Damon slipped up behind her easily and gracefully and she jumped because she hadn't heard a thing.

"I think it's only fair that we get a dance. You can owe me because of the whole ignoring me thing ok?"

He took her hand and led her out onto the dance floor and she knew she should be worried about what Stefan might think. But then, another part of her thought that the party had suddenly got a whole lot more interesting.

"Damon," she said softly, leaning into his embrace. "I don't want to get into the middle of whatever it is between you and Stefan. I've told him that and now I'm telling you."

Damon nodded seriously. "And that's not what I want either. Elena he doesn't believe me but I want for things to be different between us. I want us to be brother's again."

She laughed. "Stefan can be stubborn...you just have to give him some time."

Damon was so amazed that Elena had had agreed to dance with him and happy that she hadn't run away screaming that when he stepped outside the party he didn't bother to stop and smell his drink if he hadn't been high on the atmosphere that was around him. There was something seriously wrong with him. He was a vampire...the future of blood and death and pain and misery should have been like heaven to him but the moment he and Elena had just shared was heaven. It was all leading to something beautiful and good and even though she was confused at the moment he was hoping this would turn out right so that no one got hurt. She wouldn't be confused for long.

It was at that moment that he made a mistake that he wouldn't normally make if he had been thinking clearly and later he would be deeply ashamed that he had let someone trick him like that, had let his guard down even for a minute. In the original timeline he had figured out what Stefan was doing but then Stefan had tricked him anyway by spiking Caroline's drink. But since Caroline in this timeline didn't know about the supernatural yet and he wasn't planning on biting anyone at this party Stefan had tried the drink idea again. And second time lucky because he had been distracted idiot fool that he was!

He felt dizzy and weak and then the world went dark

**TBC**

**Next chapter I promise I will cover at least two maybe three episodes all in one chapter so we can get a bit further into the story lol just today I was recovering from a horrible hangover and headache and everything and only managed to get the effort to turn on the lap top and write anything! Hope everyone had a good new year and thank you for all my reviews!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Damon felt weak and miserable. His throat felt parched but it wasn't water that he wanted. He felt cold...even though he was technically dead, he felt colder then normal coldness should feel. That was when he realised that he was chained up and in a cell...something in the basement of the house they were living in that Zach and Stefan had cooked up between them. Very clever of Zach really, to have managed to grow a whole load of vervain when in the rest of the area it hardly grew at all.

He gave a tug on his chains that cut into his wrists and struggled to sit up. He blinked a couple of times to clear his vision and it reminded him of the time that he had woken up after the spell Bonnie cast...it seemed a long time ago now.

Ok so how was he going to get out of this one? He needed blood of some kind. Any kind really. The old Damon had lured Caroline to the house and got her to release him but he sure as hell didn't know what he was supposed to do now! Well...he would have to make Stefan see that he had changed.

He still didn't know exactly why Stefan had done this to him. He'd been as good as an Angel since he'd arrived back in the past...no reason to suspect him of anything. Why was Stefan being an asshole for no reason at all?

"Hello Damon," there it was, that soft and cold voice that he knew so well. Stefan was good at controlling his emotions . In the future, he shut off his emotions completely. Elena had tried to reason with him and she had tried to explain things to him in the tomb, about how things were between Damon and herself, but he wouldn't ever listen to her...he was so busy listening to Katherine. Katherine had made him shut down and tune everything out.

This was the beginning of that coldness and he had to give Stefan a reason to feel human other then Elena. He had to make them both stronger against Katherine's games she had played and he had to start now.

"Stefan," he replied, trying to sit up. "Stefan, please. You know what will happen if I don't drink blood. I don't even mean human blood...you're diet will be fine for me."

"Without blood you will die," Stefan said simply with no sympathy in his voice. "You'll dry up and mummify and that will be that. It didn't have to be this way Damon."

Damon smiled. "It had to be exactly this way. But I don't understand why this time. I mean...you have no reason to suspect me of anything."

Stefan narrowed his eyes slightly . "What do you mean by this time Damon? And that is part of the reason me and Zach have you trapped in here for the next fifty years. We don't trust you. There haven't been any killings yet but there is some reason why you're here in Mystic falls and I'm going to find out. And at the Founder's party I...I heard Elena talking with Bonnie and Matt. She started saying that she had a dream about you..."

"She did?" Damon whispered with hope suddenly flaring up inside of his heart.

"She wouldn't say what the dream was about. But I don't understand why she would be dreaming about you at all Damon. The necklace I gave her is full of vervain...you can't influence her."

Damon felt as if he'd been slapped in the face. So that was what this was really about. Things he hadn't even done yet and Stefan's paranoia. "Why do you automatically assume that I would influence our dear Elena. She should always be free to make up her own mind."

"Because you always want what you can't have Damon. It was like this with Katherine and now you are after Elena too. Why can't you just leave things alone? Leave me alone?"

"Because then you're life would be beyond boring little brother," Damon coughed suddenly, his throat so dry. He was so hungry. "But you have to want to believe me I guess Stefan. I'm not here to play games with anyone...I'm not Katherine. I'm not here to kill people. Believe it or not I've changed...and I want to make things better. You won't believe me because you've spent so long hating me. We've spent so long hating each other but...you have to believe me. When we were alive we shared the same blood and family name hasn't that got to count for something? Please believe me Stefan."

Stefan hesitated reaching out with the key to unlock the door. He wanted to so badly believe his brother he really did. But none of it was making sense...there wasn't any proof that Damon had really changed just his word and that had never been enough before. But it was a good speech even he had to admit that. And there hadn't been any mysterious deaths since Damon had arrived in town.

"I want to believe you Damon," Stefan was still hesitating. "You have no idea how much I want my brother back. To believe that you're not the complete monster you make yourself out to be. But you know that I can't just trust your word. I want to make a deal with you."

Damon couldn't believe that he was hearing this. "Stefan, anything. I'll do anything. And I promise that you'll understand everything soon it's just...you'll have things to worry about soon and this isn't the right time."

Stefan decided to let that comment slip past him. It was comments like that that were confusing him but he didn't think Damon meant any threat by it. In fact if he didn't know any better...Damon almost sounded concerned.

"Well," Stefan slowly unlocked the cell door. "I will let you out. But I won't give you back your ring just yet."

Damon nodded, rubbing his wrist gratefully as Stefan unlocked the chains as well. "You won't regret this brother, I promise."

"I hope not," Stefan answered him quietly.

...

All the teenagers of Mystic Falls High School seemed to be there, having fun washing the cars to raise money. Caroline, Bonnie, Matt and Elena and Stefan were all there doing their part for the community. Caroline was in her element giving people orders and taking their money...so much so that Bonnie had to laugh. She hadn't actually had this much fun in a while. Except for that bitch that kept trying to steal Caroline's thunder and run the show. Elena and Stefan seemed deep in conversation and she had just finished comforting Matt over Elena. She wasn't sure how she felt about spending all this time with Matt lately. She enjoyed his company and on the rare days when he was in a good mood he did make her laugh and he took her mind off the dull school days she had to get through. She looked forward to seeing him every day and with all the weird stuff going on in her life that she hadn't been able to explain and was having a hard time keeping to herself she was glad she had him around to keep her sane and normal and from completely freaking out.

But he was so on the rebound from Elena. There wasn't a minute that went by that he didn't mention her name briefly...if it was to ask Bonnie's advice on something or if he was pissed off at Elena it didn't matter. And most times she didn't mind playing agony aunt but she wished Matt would see her as a person...not just someone's shoulder to cry on. But there was no way she would go there while he was on the rebound! It was one of life's many rules. Don't go after your best friends man, don't fall for a married guy or someone who turned out to be gay. And don't fall for rebound guy either. But sometimes she just couldn't help feeling...something.

"Hey we need you to wipe the path over there." Oh no, though Bonnie trying to look for a reason to run and hide somewhere but she couldn't find an excuse. Here's the bitch again.

"Technically it's wet so it's clean!" she shot back.

The girl shook her head with a smirk on her face that made her look ugly in Bonnie's opinion. "It needs to be dry."

Bonnie held the broom in her hand for a second looking down at the wet puddle in front of her, feeling rage and anger and resentment boil up inside her. And then it all seemed to explode out of her like a bomb going off. She felt her eyes glaze over and she could see and hear people but they seemed so far away. The fire started slow at first, then building up to engulf the car in front of her which luckily was going to be washed and had no one in it.

She only snapped out of it when she felt someone shaking her by the shoulders. "Bonnie! Bonnie!"

"Stefan?" she whispered shakily. "Did I do that? Did you see me do that?"

Stefan nodded. "You where in some kind of daze. I think you did do it."

"Please don't tell anyone. Please."

Stefan nodded and Bonnie ran of terrified beyond belief and nearly in tears. But Stefan wasn't the only one who had seen. While He had been getting people out of the way, always playing the hero even if he got hurt in the process, Matt had seen Bonnie's glazed over eyes. At first he had though she was in shock but then he had heard what she had said to Stefan. He just didn't have a clue what it all meant and for now he would choose to remain in blissful unawareness of anything. It had been an accident. There were bigger things to take care of now, like comforting all the people that had nearly been burned and trying to tell the firemen what had really happened. He was sure he could come up with a reasonable explanation...he was good with cars.

...

Damon was bored and restless trapped in the boarding house without his ring. He was beginning to regret making this deal at all. Stefan had told him that Elena new about them being vampires. He was out there giving Elena the great trip down memory lane and filling her mind with all sorts of bullshit about him no doubt. Warning her against him. At first she hadn't handled things well at all which would be expected but then she had agreed to listen to his brother. And he wasn't even there to explain to her that he'd changed like he had planned to. It was killing him that he would have to wait...or rely on Stefan.

Several other things that he knew...Mr Tanner, their most horrible and annoying history teacher had died from a heart attack. Yes, very surprising for a gym teacher as well and someone who was a big fan of football and exercise. But you know what they say about fate having nasty things planned for some people. Maybe he was getting punished for being such a mean bastard in the first place. He was destined to die and Damon had nothing to do with it.

Also Zach had left town because he couldn't deal with Damon being free to roam around the house as he pleased and he thought that Stefan had gone soft in listening to him when he had lied and tricked people before. Damon couldn't blame him really when that was what he had been like.

Jeremy and Vicky's relationship was hitting new levels of vomit worthy moments according to Elena and he was glad he wasn't around to see the benefits of his good work if they were like that.

He needed to find his ring though. He just needed to see Elena again. What Stefan had told him about her dreams had given him hope that things were not lost forever between them. She wouldn't be dreaming of him if she didn't think he was attractive in some way right? If he remembered rightly Stefan and Elena would be breaking up any time this evening because she couldn't handle what he was. He would have to tread carefully of course and not damage all his hard work with Stefan. But any chance from now on to play the white knight he would take.

He would prove to Elena again that he was worthy of her love and that he would do anything for her. He could feel the future changing and shifting with every action he took although he still remembered the main horror show parts of it. Which was why he hoped what he had done now was enough to start things changing more.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Damon held the necklace in his hand and the compass in the other.

Logan fell had crept up on him and Stefan as they were hunting in the woods, although with their vampire powers Damon managed to pick up the human's feet snapping the twigs and leaves on the ground as he walked even though most other people wouldn't have heard a thing. "Someone's coming," he told Stefan. Stefan was with him to keep an eye on him, make sure he didn't get into any trouble. He felt like he was a little kid and being babysat.

He had managed to get a shot at Stefan and luckily the wooden bullet had missed his heart, the wound would heal in a few minutes. But in the time that Damon had knelt down to his brother's side the man had turned around and run as fast as the wind. Damon knew that he could easily catch up to the man and kill him where he stood, but since he was being an Angel and not the Devil, he let the man go. "I'll be fine Damon," Stefan murmured. "Who was that?"

"Logan Fell," Damon muttered, wondering if the man had still dropped the watch/compass on the ground. Last time Damon had killed him when he shot at them and the watch had fallen from his body. He searched with his vampire vision and there it was, sparkling in the moonlight.

So there it was. The necklace and the pocket watch that acted as a very powerful compass. The necklace didn't belong to him though and since Stefan had eventually given his ring back so he could make appearances at school...he would have to somehow give it back to Bonnie so that she could discover all about it, but it had to be in a way that she just found it. He would have to think about that one and the necklace was the key at the moment.

At least he hadn't had to put up with Stefan's doom and gloom attitude all the time since Lexi had come to town and decided to stay alot longer then last time. Much longer!. That was one of the many things he actually did regret was Lexi,and he was glad she was still around.

He knew by this time that Bonnie was asking her grandmother about her powers and telling Elena

So he had managed to slip it into Bonnie's bag at school after her history class and the craziness had begun with her haunted dreams and Caroline finding out about the supernatural at one of their girly sleepovers. The girls had a séance...according to Elena it had been Caroline's idea. She hadn't ever believed in the supernatural or ghosts but the séance changed her mind.

Although the necklace was what had caused all the trouble at Elena's house without it Bonnie would never know about Emily, never discover the true extent of her powers...and never be able to become strong enough to send him back through time. But then he had to destroy the necklace.

But it was time for him to tell Stefan what was going on. It was time to start really changing things, rather then a little bit here and there. He knew the perfect time to do things as well.

"Stefan I know that the only reason you're doing this whole bonding thing with me is because you're after information about Katherine."

Stefan froze in the act of throwing the ball towards him. "What are you talking about?"

"Ok here goes. I'm going to sound like a crazy person, But in order to change things the only way that I can see is to tell you. To warn you about what's to come and let you make your own choices. Your own decision...and if you choose the wrong choices...I can kill you now you know. I wasn't strong enough before but I am now, I promise you."

"Damon, are you threatening me? I don't understand..."

"There's no sane way to say this. I'm from the future. I know...the golden rule is to never tell anyone in the past about the future. Most usual is the fact that you can't change the past either...but I say screw the rules. You need to know...you need to know what you did...what you will do."

Stefan realised that Damon was very, very close to snapping. To loosing his self control. "Damon, whatever this is we can talk about it..."

"No. We could never talk about things. You always see what you need to see and make snap judgements. I'm from the future. Two years from now... you turn evil. Katherine brainwashes you, you start to listen to her nonsense words when you're trapped in the tomb and then when you get out you...act like your fine and you're not and then you just leave and disappear. And then people start dying...you end up killing people and Matt, Jenna, everyone is dead and then you..."

"Wait, Katherine? Slow down Damon you're not making any sense." Stefan looked shocked and confused and a little hurt at his brother's words. "How can you even think that I would do anything like that?"

Damon shook his head, anger and pain showing so deep in his eyes that Stefan thought Damon would never look any different.

"I don't think, I know. There is only us. Bonnie and me. Bonnie is the one who sent me back. The reason there isn't two of me running around is because I have two sets of memories. Future me and past me's memories. It's so much easier this way..."

He felt a little desperate now, speaking a little too fast. "I can prove it to you Stefan. In the next couple of hours Bonnie will be possessed by the ghost of Emily and she will go into the woods near the tomb under the ruins of Fell's Church and she will threaten to destroy the necklace. We have to let her do this because only then when she wakes up from possession will she realise how strong she can be. She will still be in denial for a while but eventually she will come to accept you, at least. But then you betray her by hurting everyone she loves."

There was an icy silence between the two brothers. It felt like things had always been this way and it all depended on the next few seconds if they could ever know of such a thing as peace between them.

"If you're telling the truth..." Stefan's voice shook. "Is Elena...in the future is she..."

"She's dead."

He expected Stefan to rush at him and threaten him to stop all these lies about everything, but Stefan just stood there, his eyes full of sadness.

"We'll see what happens with Bonnie then," his voice was soft, Damon almost couldn't hear anything. "And then you have to tell me everything."

Damon nodded and for the first time he felt a strange kind of relief flowing through him. His brother was actually listening...after all, he had let him out of the locked cell after being poisoned by vervain. It made him feel a bit sick then, that all the future pain could have been avoided if they had just put aside all of their differences much earlier. If they had always worked together they would be strong enough to beat anything or anyone. But they had both been so stubborn, even in death.

After they watched Bonnie destroy the necklace in a brilliant display of burning bright fire Stefan stared at his brother with open horror in his expression.

All Damon had to say was a bitter I told you so. "In the other timeline I wanted the necklace to get Katherine out of the tomb. It was the only way apparently. But then it turns out that Katherine isn't trapped in the tomb in the first place..." Damon hesitated,,, wondering how much to actually tell Stefan.

"Ok, so I believe you," Stefan murmured watching Elena comfort a shaken up Bonnie.

"How are they here...Elena what's going on?"

"I promise I'll tell you everything Bonnie...I promise," Elena was telling her in her calming voice. Elena looked up at the two brothers in confusion, wondering what they were talking about. Her eyes met Damon's and he felt a sense of a new direction. He had already made thing better. Bonnie wasn't lying bleeding on the ground...and that's what he told Stefan.

"Damon...why do I turn...into the monster you say I turned into. It can't just be Katherine can it? It's something else. Something you're not telling me."

"Well, and remember you can't be mad at me for something that hasn't happened yet, that I haven't even done yet ok?"

"It's to do with Elena isn't it?"

Damon sighed and nodded.

"Well," Stefan seemed at a loss for words. "I'm really trying here Damon. I'm trying to understand. I'm trying to change because I've seen how much you've had to change, but it's still not easy to trust you. But...we're changing the way things are supposed to go right? That has to be a good thing."

Damon only had eyes for Elena though, even as Stefan was talking. He felt everything changing now. He had done the hard part. It hadn't actually been that hard at all...he was talking to Stefan again like a brother should talk to a brother. It might be beyond boring but...had he actually saved the world? Him, Damon Salvatore?

He nodded. "Yep. Now we just have to worry about Logan Fell, Anna getting her mother out of the tomb and releasing vampires, Isobel and Katherine and then Rose and Klaus..."

His eyes were distracted again by the beauty of Elena Gilbert. He didn't feel any of the dread and terror that had been present last time. Even though Bonnie was terrified beyond belief and Stefan and Elena were still in the middle of a break up.

"You lost me again Damon. Information overload."

"Right. But good news is that we don't have to leave town now. And you still have the wonderful Lexi to take your mind off of things!"

Stefan hadn't been able to think of much at all lately but as soon Damon mentioned his best friend forever he suddenly wanted to talk to her about everything and get her opinion.

"What do you mean leave town?" Stefan wondered if it was possible for vampires to get headaches, because whatever it was he felt something like one and it was pounding like he imagined a migraine to feel like.

"So many things I have to tell you. No pressure or anything but I've done my part. Now it's up to you."

**TBC**

**Thank you for all the reviews please do keep them coming I like to know what people are thinking, I do appreciate each review. Next up is lot's more Damon/Elena and Bonnie/Matt. Alaric and Jenna. And more Stefan and Lexi. Yay I saved her lol. At the moment I have planned maybe up to 15 chapters for season 1 and then a few more to cover key events in season 2 so far but maybe up to 17 chapters. We'll see. I want to finish this story but I keep thinking of other Vampire Diaries stories. Like I thought of one today and I had to stop myself writing it lol. Hope you enjoyed I will update soon.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Alaric Saltzman was the only thing that anybody who was anybody at school and his aunt Jenna could talk about. He was the new history teacher who replaced Mr Tanner. He was different then all the other teacher's, cooler somehow. Anyone felt they could approach him with a problem and he was good at giving people second chances. Especially Jeremy.

Jeremy was getting sick of the chatter. He could overhear Caroline talking about it with Tyler and for a minute he was tempted to walk away back to the school library, to read more of the journal that he had found about his family history. It fascinated him. And it was good that he had something to write about for the history project that was going to save his grades.

When Caroline started talking about his sister though, he stopped in the act of walking away. Something about a sleep over from hell. He wasn't stupid, he could tell that there was something going on with his sister. She was always disappearing at odd hours of the day or night. But to hear Caroline gossiping about it was something he couldn't take.

"I thought you were supposed to be Elena's friend," he stormed over to them and was glad to see that Caroline looked taken aback by his anger, if a little guilty even. Good. So she should be.

"Jeremy back off..." Tyler warned.

"Why? We're not arguing over Vicki. This is my sister that you're talking about...behind her back! I just don't understand how you could. And Caroline...since when do you speak to Tyler?"

Jeremy wished he hadn't brought Vicki into the conversation because now he was thinking about her and he missed her. She had decided to leave town to go to rehab. He knew it was the best thing for her and had made him want to clean up his own act...but Tyler just brought it out in him.

"Do you miss you're little tramp of a girlfriend?"

"Tyler shut up," said Caroline, holding up her hand. "Listen Jer, we weren't gossiping ok? I know that I do that a lot but...stuff that happened it freaked me out and I just had to talk to somebody about it. Bonnie has been spending all her time with Matt if she's not with Elena who is always with Stefan and...who do I really have to talk to?"

"So you've become friends with the nearest creep you could find? Why am I even bothering with you guys? As long as you stop talking about my sister...I don't have to have anything to do with you!"

"He's not really that bad...are you Tyler?"

"Not that bad? I tried talking to him and he just picked a fight with me. How is that not that bad."

"Everyone has issues," Caroline had to admit to herself that she didn't know why she had started to talk to Tyler more. It wasn't like they had ever been friends before or even looked at each other. But she had been so lonely lately...

"Well he needs to sort them and fast." With that Jeremy turned away and left, leaving the two of them speechless and him feeling really proud of himself. He hoped Elena appreciated it when she heard about it.

If she ever heard about it...not that she was in school much these days. How could she get away with things but he couldn't?

...

"So, let me get this straight," said Lexi, leaning back and settling into the very comfy chair in the very posh and amazingly decorated boarding house. "In the other timeline...you killed me? This is supposed to make me want to help you because?"

"Oh, come on Lex, I'm really trying here ok?" Damon took another sip of his drink, wondering why they were making this so hard on him.

"It sounds to me like you're the evil one, not Stefan."

"You would say that. You're his bff," Damon muttered.

"Remember who you're talking to buddy. I'm ..."

"I know, I know. You're older wiser and oh so much stronger then me. You could crush me where I stand etc, etc. I could have used your help when everything went to shit you know. You have no idea how much I regret..."

"Killing me," She seemed to sense something in his tone of voice that was serious and she looked towards Stefan who still hadn't said a word. "I still can't believe all of this. Hell, I'm more likely to go all evil and kill everyone in town but Stefan..."

"I kill Elena don't I?" Stefan looked up at Damon and Damon was afraid his brother was actually going to cry...if vampires were capable of crying.

"Yes," it was nothing but the truth from now on."

"Then I have to stay away from her. I can't ever take that risk..."

"You can still be her friend brother. Because you've changed or, you're starting to change things. " Damon was more then a little bit worried about his brother's reaction to when he and Elena started to become close and that would happen very soon.

"When are we going to tell her? Elena?" Lexi asked suddenly. "I mean doesn't she deserve to know? I think a girl deserves to know why the man she loves can't ever be with her again and why he suddenly backing off."

"Well, if you remember, they're on a break at the moment Lexi. Of course...in the other time line they are always on a break. It's like Ross and Rachel from friends..."

"You watch Friends?" Stefan raised an eyebrow, the severity of the situation forgotten for a second by that comment.

Damon rolled his eyes. "There's always old episodes on TV all the time. Sometimes it's the only thing to watch. Off topic...in the other reality you guys get back together but this time you can't. So...I think it's only right that I tell her the news. Of course she also has to know that she's adopted...but I can cross that bridge when I come to it."

"When are you going to tell her?" Lexi was curious.

"Well...when you guys sleep together for the first time she finds a picture of Katherine and then she gets in a car accident and I happen to rescue her and we end up going to Georgia...so sorry. This must be hard for you."

But although he felt slightly guilty at mentioning things Stefan would never get to experience, the image of him killing Elena, of Elena's funeral still firmly etched into his mind, kept him from feeling too bad.

Stefan looked away and took a sip of his own drink...for once he wasn't being a boring saint.

"But first we have a Logan hunt to deal with," Damon sighed. "In the grand scheme of things he's not that bad but he is annoying in many ways."

"And Logan is after us because?" Stefan asked, struggling to keep up with events that where making his head spin.

"Because he wants to know how we walk in the daylight and because he's a crazy new born vampire. He should be pretty easy to kill between the three of us."

"So you know where he'll be?" asked Lexi standing up. "Then we better go. Damn it I was just getting comfortable."

...

Damon was right. Killing Logan was easy, but he had much more important things to worry about. He wondered how he would actually get to Georgia with Elena though. He could tell she was beginning to get Stefan withdrawals and he couldn't let that happen so he had to be a little bit manipulative here, it was just part of his nature.

She still needed to see that picture of Katherine but if she and Stefan never got back together then she would never have a reason to come up to his room, or come over to the boarding house for that matter. He had to start talking to her and getting her to trust him much more then she already did...and that wasn't a lot. He had to get her to see the picture...

He hesitated as he walked into the main rooms of the boarding house and he could hear voices.

"How could you Stefan? How could you keep these things from me? I've been opening up my heart to you, trusting you with everything and this..."

"Elena I'm sorry..."

"I came over here to tell you I want to be with you know matter what. I just needed some time to deal with all of this...vampires, witches. I just needed time. But then you dump all of this on me and tell me that I look like her and that...I'm adopted, I..."

"I had to tell you the truth. You had a right to know."

"What's going on?" Damon couldn't let her find out anymore then that yet. At least he didn't have to manipulate his brother and damage what they had managed to repair. Stefan was doing a good job of destroying his relationship on his own. He had become very good at destroying things though.

"Did you know about all of this?" Elena turned towards him with anger and pain in her eyes. "You must have done. You must have known. Even if you hate each other you're brothers. You know things."

"I did know," he said it without thinking and winced when he realised how all this sounded to the poor bewildered girl.

"You both know that I look like the famous Katherine and you didn't tell me? God I wish I had never got involved in any of this. I hate you both!"

Elena had never felt so betrayed by everyone in her life. Jenna must have known about all of this too and been hiding it from her for all these years. Did Jeremy know? Did anyone else know? She was shaking and tears were running freely down her cheeks.

"Elena wait," Damon started to walk towards her, to reach out to her. He wanted nothing more then to comfort her, but she was already turning, running, running as far away from them as she could. He heard the sound of tires screeching as she drove off into the night.

"Go," Stefan said simply to Damon. His face only showed defeat. "Go and do what you need to do. Just...make her better."

Without another word, without looking back Damon ran after Elena using his vampire speed to catch up with her.

Lexi placed a hand on Stefan's arm and she could feel the tension in his muscles, could feel that he was ready to collapse any second.

"Stefan I'm sorry," She murmured.

"Just leave me alone," his voice had no emotion at all and it worried Lexi a lot.

"No. That's what get's you in trouble in the future Stefan. You can't handle loosing Elena but you have to let her go. You have to...otherwise you'll lose yourself and everything you care about. I'm going to help you through this I promise," and she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace and she didn't let go for a very long time.

...

_That night they had all been full of bravado, standing together making plans to defeat Stefan. But it didn't do any good in the end. Because Elena wasn't strong enough. After the snow storm incident Damon had forced everyone to wear their vervain necklaces and jewellery to protect themselves from Stefan's mind games. But Elena had decided to go to him anyway one last time and try to convince him to stop, to come home. Against everyone's wishes she had done this, not able to cope with the fact that this was all her fault she had gone to him. He was still in her head without the need to compel her. Damon had found her body by wickery bridge, where he had saved her last time._

_He collapsed by her side shaking with tears. He held her close to him murmuring I'm sorry, over and over. It was a night that would haunt him forever. _

_..._

Damon raced through the night following her scent, the sound of the car. He heard the crash and saw the man she had run over running away from the scene. He bent down and got her out from the car and when she murmured "I look like her" and fainted in his arms, he held her close to him glad beyond belief that this time she had a pulse. And he would keep it that way. That night had haunted him forever, because even though their love might have been the strongest love in the world, because of who she was Elena wouldn't stop trying to save someone she had cared about. She hadn't been able to forget Stefan. But now he would be able to make her forget her pain and they would be able to have some fun. At least that was the plan.

**TBC**

**Thank you once again for all your reviews please keep them coming I would be very grateful to know what everybody thinks of this story. I am running out of time to write so will have to leave it there I'm afraid. Will update soon promise!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Elena Gilbert opened her eyes and she felt weird. Like she'd had a really deep sleep but...like she had a hangover or something. She'd only had a hangover once or twice in her young life, When Caroline had snuck alcohol up to her room on one of their many girly sleepovers. Not that Caroline would be coming over much anymore after the last sleep over they had had.

Her memory was very vague but she had a sense that she was moving. Looking up slowly she realised she was in a car, but she had no memory of how she got there or where she was, or who she was with for that matter.

"Damon?" For a moment she thought that her eyes were tricking her. What could she possibly be doing in a car with Damon?

"Damon, we need to stop the car. Can you explain to me what we're doing? Why am I in a car with you? What's going on? Where am I?"

"Elena, how much do you remember?" he asked her.

"There was a man... ran him over. Oh my God we have to go back."

"We can't go back. We're in Georgia."

That silenced her for a moment and she turned to stare out of the window. Green fields were rolling by them as the car sped along the empty road. "Are we really in Georgia? We can't be in Georgia Damon. I need to call my aunt Jenna she doesn't know where I am..."

Elena hesitated. Something in her memory had been triggered. "I'm adopted," she murmured. She should be hating her aunt right now...she wasn't really her aunt at all. "I still need to let her know I'm ok. Although..."

"You don't want to," Damon finished for her, slowly pulling over to the side of the road, but this time Elena didn't get out.

She shook her head. "No. And Stefan told me things. Things about me and Katherine...I told him I hated him. I'm supposed to be hating the both of you. I can't be around you."

"Elena there are things that I have to tell you too. Things that will make all of this make sense...I'm just not sure how to. I can turn this car around right now, but would it solve anything? You deserve the chance to have some fun and clear your head. And even if you hate me...you can't deny that you can still have some fun with me."

She looked confused. "But I don't know you well enough to know that Damon. I've only really spoken to you a few times and you always seem to be the silent loner type."

"That's one side of me yes. Look we're in Georgia to look up an old friend of mine who might be able to help me," although since then he had saved Lexi, which meant Bree wouldn't be betraying him by telling Lexi's old boyfriend that he was in her bar. And he wasn't on a hunt for a way to open the tomb so he didn't really need to see Bree at all. But Lexi's boyfriend could still turn up at any moment and that would be awkward. They could actually have some fun for a change and not have to worry about being in danger all the time.

Elena sighed in exasperation and actually threw up her hands. "Ok fine. But this still counts as kidnapping Damon. Don't think that just because I'm agreeing with you it means that I've forgotten who you really are. You've killed people without remorse and...you're evil."

"I'm not the only one who's evil," Damon muttered underneath his breath but Elena still heard him and she stiffened at the comment.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, not able to believe that he spoke out loud.

He pulled up outside the bar and they could hear the music blaring out from the door. He had suddenly parked the car and was out the other side opening her car door in the blink of an eye.

Inside the bar it was darker then she had expected and there were hardly any customers. "This is your idea of fun?" She murmured as Bree came and gave Damon a very warm welcome indeed.

Eventually though, Damon had persuaded her to have a beer and the bar wasn't so bad after all...especially when they started choosing the music. He made funs out of her choice in music but she was just as merciless with his choices too, and soon she was forgetting all about Stefan and being adopted and even the reason why she was here in a bar with Damon in the first place. His sense of fun and adventure was becoming infectious and she was almost feeling free for the first time in...a while. They laughed and joked and played pool, all the while with Bree looking on with a smirk on her face.

"Could it actually be that you are having fun?" he asked her as they stepped outside for some fresh air. The alcohol had gotten to her head making her feel slightly dizzy. Now that she thought about it, probably not such a good idea after being in a car accident the night before.

"I used to be a fun person," she murmured, her words slightly blurred. "I was capable of fun. Before...all of this. All the lies and everything. I can't believe my family would do this to me. That Stefan would do this to me. Crap, I was supposed to be forgetting him Damon. He has caused me so much...pain lately. Relationships are not suppose to be like this, they are supposed to be fun. And at first it was fun, exciting and new and it helped me. But now, so much has happened."

She paused and looked up at him. "I'm sorry. You don't need a play by play of our relationship. But I have to talk about it because it's confusing me. How am I supposed to act when we get back home? If we ever go back there." She found herself moving closer to Damon, taking comfort from him. This surprised her. She wouldn't have thought that she was capable of feeling anything for him, despite the dreams she had been having lately.

She shivered and he wrapped his arm around her, thinking that so far this was going so much better then last time.

She looked into his eyes for a long time, wondering if he was compelling her to do this, to be thinking how nice it would be. That maybe Damon would be able to make her forget everything for real.

Their lips met in a haze of confusion, it happened so quickly that she was overtaken with a rush of emotions. The thrill of excitement rushed through her and the rush of guilt. But some how she couldn't pull away.

She could never tell how long the kiss went on for and when they at last pulled away from each other she was left breathless. "Damon," she murmured.

"i wasn't compelling you," he promised her instantly. "I promised that I wouldn't. I keep my promises."

"I know. It's just...that shouldn't of happened. I've only just broken up with Stefan...it doesn't feel right does it feels wrong"

But she was lying to herself. It a felt more right then anything else had in her life. Especially since she had felt...she had seen something that...

"Elena," he started to speak but then stopped and looked away.

"I don't mean to hurt you Damon," she said to him, laying a hand on his arm.

"That's funny. Considering all the people that I've hurt, you don't want to hurt me? I don't deserve you to even be talking to me. You don't have to worry about me."

But she did worry. She had seen something when they had kissed. It was like a flash of ...she could only describe it as a vision. Like the visions Bonnie sometimes had. But this wasn't of the past or present. She knew that this was in the future.

It was a dark future. She barely recognised Mystic Falls. It looked like a rundown town, graffiti and broken glass on the pavement, broken windows in buildings and hardly any town's people lived there anymore.

She had seen all those she knew and loved were dead...except for Damon.

How could she explain what she and seen? Why had she seen it when they kissed and what did it all mean? Should she tell him?

She had also seen Stefan...he looked different and he had scared her. He had been with Katherine and they had been killing...and then he had looked up and seen her staring at him in horror and then she had stopped the kiss with Damon.

It hadn't been that she was thinking of Stefan the whole time she had been kissing Damon, somehow this was something that Damon wanted her to know. Something he was showing her. Somehow they had a link between them, but she didn't know what it was. But this changed everything. Nothing would be the same after this.

He looked up at her, her silence had lasted too long. "Elena, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Damon," she stood up suddenly. "But I think it's time to go home now."

She could see a coldness in his eyes that she wanted to kiss away. She wanted to take away all of his pain. She knew without a doubt that he wasn't the same Damon that Stefan knew, he had changed. But how would she even begin to tell him that she knew, or make everyone else see it?

Even though she had barely spoken to this man, she felt that she knew him and that she would always know him. That she had always known him.

She would find a way to sort this all out.

TBC

**Sorry about the delay I have started writing the next chapter it should be up soon! Please leave a review to let me know you are still enjoying this! I'm missing vampire Diaries want new episodes to watch lol. Don't know when it will be back on TV in the UK though**


	11. Chapter 11

So sorry about the delay in this chapter, but real life has been annoying what with waiting at hospitals for hours from 7.30 in the morning and then having your appointment cancelled and having to wait now until the end of the month and having to rearrange all of the holiday I booked off! Anyway, for those of you still reading here is the next chapter, hope you enjoy and pretty please leave a review to let me know what you think, reviews inspire me to write more!

Chapter Eleven

It had been a week since they had arrived back at Mystic Falls and Damon still hadn't heard from Elena. He wondered if he had rushed things too much or been too spontaneous. But then that was who he was.

Elena hadn't thought about anything else except for Damon. She hadn't wanted to hurt him by brushing him off but she was still confused by what she had seen. It had definitely been a type of vision but it had left her reeling.

There was a school dance coming up with a 50's theme. She had been all excited about it and been planning to go with Stefan but now things were so confusing and messed up she didn't know what to do, what with all these dreams and new feelings for Damon.

Stefan had come round to give her some vervain which was a type of herb that could protect her from vampires. He had told her to give some to her family and friends in the form of jewellery to protect them as well.

She had accepted the offer even though they had broken up and she was still mad at him for all the secrets he had kept from her. She acted cool with him and he soon left her again. How could she trust him and how could she think that he loved her for who she really was and not that she looked like Katherine.

She had so much to think about lately with Bonnie convincing her to ask Jenna about her adoption and trying to remember who it was she had run over with her car, the whole reason that Damon had had to rescue her in the first place from the car crash.

When Elena received a threatening phone call she was instantly overwhelmed with panic and her immediate reaction was still to run to Stefan.

This confused her and made her feel guilty about Damon. She quickly got into her car and drove quickly to the boarding house but she hesitated at the front door, not sure who she was here to see. The door seemed to swing open on its own and Damon stood before her a look of worry on his deep brown eyes. She was instantly comforted and felt relief at seeing him.

"What's wrong?" he instantly asked her and she realised she was on the verge of crying.

She told him what had happened and he led her into the house a protective arm around her shoulders.

"It's going to be ok I won't let anyone hurt you ever," he promised her.

She nodded. "I feel...safer already just by being here," she murmured. "Damon, I'm so sorry about what happened in Georgia."

"How was that your fault?" he asked her incredulous.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I've...I have learned to care about you and when we kissed I..."

She wondered if she should tell him about the vision. She had thought about telling Bonnie but Bonnie had issues with Stefan and Damon as it was. She couldn't even talk to her best friend. "I saw something. It was like a vision...at least I thought it was."

Damon was instantly panicking. "What do you mean you saw something?" Then he laughed, trying to get her distracted. What if she wasn't supposed to know the truth? "Are you sure it wasn't the alcohol messing with your brain? You did get very drunk Elena."

"No!" she exclaimed stubbornly, shaking her head. "I know that I saw something! Why won't you believe that I'm telling the truth? I know that something's going on with you Damon. I know with all my heart that somehow, you're not the same Damon that I used to know. I know that you're different, that you've changed for good and for the better. And I will find out the truth here. How am I supposed to make everyone else see it when you won't even let me see it?"

"Elena," he whispered. "I want so badly to be able to tell you. I promise I do but I can't. I don't even know that you'd believe me."

"Damon in the past year I have believed and handled a whole lot more then most people could even think was possible! Witches, vampires and god knows what else I think that I can handle this ok?"

She looked away and there was a silence between them. "Ok. I will give you the time you need to tell me. I believe that you want to but something's holding you back. But I won't wait forever. Soon I'm going to make you tell me."

Damon then gave her the Gilbert compass that detected vampires and she watched in fascination as the needle spun around wildly and then pointed at him. "It's for your protection, to warn you." Damon said softly.

He offered to occupy her home but she declined saying that she felt safer already and that if she was in trouble that she was sure that he would instantly be there to rescue her.

When Damon closed the door after her he turned and realised he was being watched by Stefan and Lexi.

"What?" he asked them both, irritated that he had been spied on.

"So you guys kissed?" asked Stefan. His tone was light but Damon could sense the hurt inside his brother.

Lexi took hold of Stefan's hand and Damon tensed. He could feel the tension thick in the room around them.

Stefan looked at them all, as if realising they were waiting for him to snap. "It's ok," he said wearily. "I know about the future. I know that you and Elena are meant to be. You can be more for her then I can. Besides I have Lexi here to help me through this don't I?"

The phone rang and Damon instantly picked it up and it was Elena. She was in trouble she thought someone was in the house and then the phone call was cut short and he was left with the dial tone.

Instantly the three vampires where a whirl of blurring motion and with super speed they were at Elena's house. Lexi hadn't been invited in, but then they heard Elena's voice screaming through the house crying out for help. There must have been a loop hole as Elena screamed "Please someone help me," and Lexi was suddenly allowed into the house with the brother's. Elena's plea for help had included her. She had asked anyone for help and that must have meant anyone with the intention to help her was welcome in the house.

The three vampire's presence alone was enough to make the hooded vampire hesitate in hurting Elena and turn and run.

"Thank you," she whispered breathlessly, visibly shaken.

"You should take Elena to the dance," Stefan told his brother. "Protect her."

"We should go too," said Lexi instantly, sensing Elena and Damon's discomfort at that idea. "We can all be there to protect her. And I can stay here tonight to make sure nothing else happens."

Elena thought to herself that she didn't want to have to be protected all the time but she was grateful for their offers.

As Stefan and Damon waked home Damon decided to talk to his brother. He could sense Stefan was hurting and didn't want it to get out of control. "You know, when Elena and I kissed she was instantly feeling guilty about you. Nothing's happened yet between me and her. I'm not sure that it will if things can't ever be right between all of us."

Stefan stared at Damon in surprise. "Well...I appreciate your honesty Damon. Thank you. Like I said before I have Lexi to help keep me sane. I'm sure everything will work out."

Damon wasn't so sure. He still had to keep an eye on his brother. What if Lexi was just a rebound for him?

"Do we have to go to this dance?" Damon groaned suddenly, hoping to lighten things up a bit.

"Yes," Stefan chuckled. "I almost forgot how much you hated all the formal dances that father held for the town at the mansion."

Damon shuddered at the thought. "This is going to be bad."

"Maybe not as bad as you think, brother."

...

The dance wasn't as bad as he had thought. In fact he had learned that if you went to these things with the right person they could actually be kind of fun. He had had a few dances with Elena, showed her some pretty good moves from back in the day which had surprised Stefan and Lexi who thought they only things he had ever done back in the day was disobey his father and get drunk, gamble and flirt. "I wasn't all that bad," he had defended himself. "Once I found the right lady I treated her right."

"Yeah, sure," Lexi had laughed. "And then it only lasted for a few weeks and then you treated someone else right."

He scowled at her and ignored her for some time after that.

He had gained great satisfaction at seeing Bonnie and Caroline's looks of astonishment as he danced with their best friend. He could read their looks plainly. Hadn't Elena been all crazy for Stefan?

"Everyone's staring," Elena had murmured as Damon held her close in another slow dance.

"Let them stare," he had said recklessly.

Elena felt a thrill of excitement as se danced with Damon. Everyone else was forgotten in that wonderful moment. Even Stefan who was never far from her thoughts making her doubt herself and the actions she made.

She didn't care what anyone else thought. This felt right, and she wanted more of it whatever it was. She would never forget Stefan and how he had helped her through some tough times coping with her parent's death. But he had lied to her. Damon had never made it a secret that he had ;loved Katherine but Stefan had always been in denial and she herself thought he had loved Katherine after all he just didn't want to admit it to anyone. And Damon had never kept anything from her except things to do with this vision and she sensed that he wanted to tell her for some reason he couldn't, and she had to let him know that it was ok to tell her.

Damon had always said what was on his mind, whatever he was thinking in the moment and she liked that. Stefan had always been secrets and not being himself with her. It had taken him ages to tell her the truth and she had a feeling that Damon would have told her in half the time.

The mood of the dance had of course been ruined for Damon once Alaric had started asking him questions and the confrontation with the vampire who was working with Anna.

He had forgotten, in his joy of being with Elena all about those two. He wouldn't make that mistake again. He was impressed with the way that Elena had handled herself against the vampire and told her , he was so glad that she was safe, for now at least.

...

"So what happens now?" Stefan and Lexi were sitting one of the big comfortable chairs in the main room of the boarding house. It was the morning after the dance. Stefan held a glass of animal blood in his hand, drinking slowly, Lexi sat on his lap.

"Now?" Damon stood before them. "Now we have to worry about Alaric and Anna."

"Ok," said Lexi thoughtfully. "Stefan and I can go and question Alaric I think that you should go and keep an eye on Elena. The sooner that Stefan gets used to the two of you being together the better off we will all be ok?"

Stefan nodded.

Damon was taken aback by their attitude but h was glad about it. Although there was one thing looming around the next corner that he wasn't looking forward to at all and that was part of the reason he hadn't told them everything. He hadn't told them that Isobel was Alaric's wife and Elena's mother and that he had killed and turned her and she was still alive as a vampire. He wasn't ready for all of that yet. One thing at time was what he was thinking and right now they had to stop Anna from opening the tomb.

"Ok," he said in agreement.

He spent the rest of the day at Elena's. Last time it had been because Elena and Stefan were double crossing him but this time it felt real. As if he was part of a family. He played video games with Jeremy and he felt awkward when Jenna whispered to Elena that she thought he was hot while they were in the kitchen. This time Elena made a rolling eye gesture and told her aunt to keep her hands off.

It almost made him sad when Jeremy started to talk about Anna.

In the future it may seem as though Anna cared about Jeremy, when he found out what she was, but Anna would always be a vampire. So he had to be careful here. For now, Anna was intent on getting what she wanted no matter the cost and if it meant hurting Jeremy. Anything that hurt Elena's family hurt her so he had to be careful here.

"For someone who wants to avoid this girl you sure talk a lot about her," Damon joked.

Jenna had gone upstairs when the doorbell rang.

Stefan and Lexi had arrived.

They look over the copied journal that Alaric had. The actual journal it turns out was missing but Alaric luckily made copies of it. Stefan and Lexi kept giving him strange looks although he wasn't sure why.

"I found out that Jeremy told Anna about the journal which means that she probably has it and is looking for the grimoire. The information will be in the journal of where the grimoire is hidden," Damon explained to them.

Elena was with Jeremy in the other room while he told all this to Lexi and Stefan. "So that means I have to go and meet Anna. In my other life I followed her and made her give me information, I have to do the same things so she doesn't guess anything or that we know her plans. In the other reality she kidnaps Elena and Bonnie, someone Bonnie is meeting tonight turns out to be working with Anna. "

Lexi nodded in understanding. "So we have to go and save Bonnie. I hate all this time travel stuff. Why can't anything be normal around here? Instead we have to stop all this bad stuff happening."

Damon and Stefan stared at her. "Well, its Mystic Falls isn't it?" Damon joked. "Go, and hurry."

As he met up with Anna he hoped that Stefan and Lexi got to Bonnie in time. Anna still needed a witch to open the tomb and if they got bonnie they would have all that they needed to try and open the tomb and then they would get Elena too.

Unfortunately, no matter that they had vampire speed it was already too late. Bonnie had still kissed Ben and seen what he really was. She had already gone outside and just as the other two vampires got there, he had grabbed her and disappeared.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

"This whole thing is stupid in the first place!" Damon shouted at Stefan and Lexi in frustration. "How can they both just be gone?"

"You don't need to open the tomb now, Damon," Stefan said calmly. "But Anna still does, to free her mother. "

"So, let me get this straight. Ben was...too fast for you? Ben...a stupid newbie vampire beat you and Lexi to it?"

"Hey!" Lexi interrupted.

"This isn't helping anyone," Stefan told his brother.

"No, it's not." Damon sighed. He didn't want this. He didn't want any more fighting or any more pain or suffering...or death. But he knew that if things kept going as they were, there would be at least one more death on his hands then he wanted. Bonnie's grandmother would die if she helped Bonnie to open the tomb. And that would fracture Bonnie and Elena's friendship. Not permanently of course but...for a while. And he didn't want Elena to go through anything else.

He didn't want to work with Anna either and he told Stefan all of this.

"Damon, if you don't want to see Elena hurt then you will do all of the things that you've done before. You don't want Anna to learn the truth and turn against Jeremy, do you?" Lexi pointed out.

Damon shook his head.

"Then you'll go talk to Bonnie's grandmother," Stefan asked.

"You just want to see me get a major headache again!" Damon grumbled.

"I thought we called a truce?" Stefan said wearily. "Since we know where Elena is I can go rescue them...but you have to go talk to the witch, to make amends. You wanted to change the past didn't you?"

...

Damon thought to himself that this was definitely on his list of top ten things he didn't want to do, as he knocked on the door of Bonnie's grandmother's house.

The witch stared at him coldly when she answered the door.

"Hello Ms Bennet," he said as politely as he could. "I'm wondering if you know..."

"No. Never," she interrupted him.

"Ok...last time this meeting ended up with threats and a really bad headache...and it wasn't good. Just look in my eyes and you'll know that I'm not the same Damon Salvatore that your granddaughter knows. Just...let her know that you can trust me now ok? When you next see her. Just tell her that."

He turned to leave, but she called out his name and he stopped and turned round to look at her expectantly.

"You are different," she said quietly. "I don't know how. You're not even the same...soul as you were. How is that possible?"

"Vampires don't have souls," he reminded her just as quietly.

She smiled. "Well, whatever you do have, it's as close to a soul as you're going to get. Whatever miracle has made this happen...I will let Bonnie know. Now get off my porch Damon."

Not as bad as he was expecting.

...

Stefan had saved Bonnie and Elena, after hunting down Ben. They were back at the Bennet house and Bonnie's grandmother wasn't that happy.

"I'm sorry," Bonnie was saying. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"Once again, we witches are pulled down by vampire problems." Bonnie's grandmother said bitterly. She glanced up at Stefan and Damon. "No offence meant."

"None taken," Stefan said.

Bonnie noticed that Stefan and Elena stood as far apart from each other as they could get, and that Stefan stood very close to Lexi.

It was still hard for her to imagine her friend and Stefan apart. Even after the dance when she should have been used to things by mow, it still seemed strange.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked her grandmother. "Ben and Anna are still out there."

"We still need to open the tomb, unfortunately," Damon told them all, earning himself a glare from Bonnie. "Not to release Katherine...I couldn't care less about that bitch!"

This earned him a surprised look from Elena.

"But...we don't want to cross Anna. She's friends with Jeremy...we don't know what she would do."

Bonnie's grandmother nodded. "We'll open the tomb and kill them all with fire. Burn them to Ashes."

"Except Anna's mother," Elena said, still looking at Damon in suspicion. "Unfortunately we need to keep Anna happy for the moment. I don't want Jeremy to go through any more pain and hurt. Once I've talked to him we can explain everything to him, and then deal with Anna afterwards..." she looked at the two witches in the room. "I promise!"

Bonnie's grandmother nodded reluctantly. "There is always something to delay things."

...

Anna was at the tomb, knowing that Damon wouldn't stop at anything to get what he wanted...Katherine's release. Not knowing that Damon had had a change of heart.

She had forgotten about the party being held in the woods by all those stupid teenagers who were as clueless as the adults of this town. All of them were so clueless it was unbelievable. Especially this one, Jeremy. But there was something different about him. He wasn't as clueless as the others...he believed there was something more out there. But he just couldn't see what was right in front of his face.

The stupid thing was that she actually liked Jeremy. It was at times like this that she wished she was still a human and could have lived a normal life. Instead she had to knock Jeremy out and take him to a tomb full of monsters and use him as blackmail for them to open the tomb for her, because her previous plan failed. Because that's what she and her mother were. Monsters. Jeremy had no idea. He was thinking, whatever he thought was out there, that it was some big adventure, some fairytale life but it wasn't.

She did regret what she had done, but she would do anything for her family. And she couldn't leave her mother in there any moment longer.

The way that things went, Anna needn't have worried about anything.

"This plan is stupid," Damon was whispering fiercely to Stefan, Lexi and Elena as the witches began their chant to open the tomb.

"We need to get Anna's mother out of there," Elena whispered back. "And I thought you wanted Katherine..."

"Katherine isn't even in the damn tomb ok?" Stefan looked at him sharply.

"What are you talking about Damon?"

"She's not even there. And if any of us vampires go in the tomb...we get stuck in there forever. Change it," he turned round to the witches in frustration.

By this time everyone was staring at him in shock.

"Damon, how do you know..." Elena was saying, but he was ignoring her.

"I know you're only opening the doorway, not the seal. Also know that you can open the seal temporarily so do it. Although I stress that you don't. Especially you..." he pointed at the older witch.

"Are you threatening her?" asked Bonnie, angered at being interrupted.

"No, I'm warning her. The outcome won't be good."

"Damon..." warned Stefan, knowing his brother was treading on dangerous ground. Who knew what would happen if he revealed too much? Although maybe he should, who knew?

"But if you're going to do the spell, then you can't even try to trick us it won't work. So you'd better do it my way."

The two witches managed to open the tomb and the next few minutes were scary as hell for Elena as she and Damon walked through the darkened passage to the back of the tomb. Elena shivered as she heard the vampires. And at first she didn't know what it was. "What is that?" She whispered to Damon in terror.

"They can feel you," Anna's voice came from behind them and before Damon even knew what was happening Anna had hold of Elena, was cutting her wrist and feeding her blood to her mother.

"How..." Damon started.

"The witches were distracted by all their annoying chanting," Anna said, grinning evilly. "And Stefan and dear Lexi were distracted by killing Ben. Thanks by the way, for making this job so much easier for me."

"It's only because Jeremy..." Elena began earnestly, worried for her brother.

"Oh, him?" Anna helped her weakened mother up from the ground. "He's outside. Had to bring him in case none of you co operated. But it all worked out fine so...you can have him back, gladly."

Damon didn't say a word, but he was secretly thinking that when the time came he would gladly stake Anna and be done with her. And also this time round, he wouldn't be snapping Jeremy's neck to prove a point.

"I don't know about you people, but I'm sick of the dark," Elena snapped, pushing passed Anna.

"We live for the dark," Anna smiled back at her. "We're vampires. In case you were forgetting, so loved up with Stefan as you are. Are you forgetting what he really is?"

Damon flinched at that comment, and Elena was unusually silent, which made him a bit happier.

They managed to escape from the tomb just in time as the witches were considerably weakened by the magic they were using.

All Elena was interested in was making sure that her friends and Jeremy were ok and she was glad when they were.

...

Later on that evening, Damon came over to Elena's home to find out if she was ok. He was extremely surprised by her reaction. She pulled him towards her and kissed him deeply, holding him close to her, wrapping him up in her arms.

He was so shocked that at first he couldn't react to what was happening. But then he definitely couldn't not react for much longer.

"Elena..." he whispered as she pulled away, she looked flushed and slightly embarrassed, looking away shyly.

"I'm sorry..." she murmured.

"What was that?" he asked finally.

"I've been fighting with myself if I should tell you. In Atlanta, when we kissed. I felt...well, I saw...things. Things that I somehow knew hadn't happened yet. And today in the tomb, you were acting very...you knew things you couldn't possibly have known and I had to know, what was going on. This was the only way I could think of."

He felt disappointment hit him. Was that it? Did she feel anything at all for him yet? Or was he rushing things. Was it too soon?

"well, you could have just asked!" He told her moodily.

"Damon...it's not like that. Really, it's just..."

"Well?" he cut her off suddenly. "What did you see?"

TBC

Sorry, cliff hanger. Let me know what you think please!


	13. Chapter 13

I have noticed a mistake in my own story that I will have to fix as soon as I can! I was re reading it and in the first chapter, in the flash forwards, Damon says that Jenna was killed after Elena was killed, without knowing the truth about anything and he should have told her. But in later chapters in a flash forward she is standing in the room with Jeremy when they are all talking and knows things! Oops...oh well, I will fix it for new people reading it lol! Thanks for reading and reviewing and letting me know what you think.

Chapter Thirteen

"What did I see?" Elena asked him. "You mean..."

"Just now," Damon said patiently. "What did you see?"

Elena knew then that she had hurt him more than he was letting on. He thought she had only kissed him because she wanted information. That was partly true but...she had wanted to kiss him. Had wanted for a while now...probably ever since Atlanta. She had to fix this, but how could she make him see the truth?

"Damon," she started softly. "I saw the moment when I first realised that I...cared about you as more then Stefan's brother. It was something so small and simple...you were taking care of me. Stefan was trapped in a tomb...had been for months," she looked away, her voice shaking and she felt very nervous for some reason. "He no longer wanted to see me and...he was trapped with Katherine. There was no excuse for what I was thinking about you...what we were leading up to. You brought me a drink...that was it and...it was then I realised how far you'd come, and how far you'd changed. And then that was when things started up between us and... after, I told Stefan what had happened between us, when he and Katherine got out of the tomb and he turned evil. He did a lot of evil things and caused you so much pain and it was all our fault. I can understand why he was angry. But I tried my hardest to get him to talk to me, to listen to me instead of her and in the end he chose her way before I chose you.

Most of it I saw just now...but some things I saw in Atlanta. Other things are vague. The exact things that Stefan did I can't see. But that's why you came back through time. To change things, to make things right between you and Stefan and to try and make sure that he's ok with the idea of us before anything happens and...all this I saw just now. Oh Damon..."

She leaned closer towards him, taking his hands in her own. "Oh you have no idea how much I'm admiring you right now. I know you've done terrible things in the past...things you know you can't make up for, but you're trying. And you have to know that in that other reality, I'm sure that I really cared about you...loved you even. But I'm sure there was a lot of guilt too over us being together, on both sides and...now because you're changing things then we can be together guilt free!"

Damon looked lost and confused. "You really mean all these things? You've actually thought about me? I mean I thought I was rushing things and..."

Elena smiled. "Why do you think I never got back together with Stefan? I know that you're different now. Before I could never be with you, because of the choices you made and you killed people. But in that other reality...you obviously changed enough for me to care about you...love you even, and that's who you are now and that's a person that I can love. Stefan may take time to come round to the idea but...he has Lexi now to help him."

"I can't believe you really believe me."

"I trust you now Damon. Completely. And that's all that matters."

Damon sighed. Now was the right time if ever there was one to tell her his deepest regret. And he wasn't sure he was ready or that he ever would be.

"Since we're being all confessional and everything I have something to tell you that may change your mind about me."

He could see her bracing herself for bad news. "I hope that after I tell you, after this has all sunk in that I never have to see a look like that pass over your face again, Elena. That I will never hurt you anymore. This is the last secret that I have from you. After this anything is possible and the rest will be up to you. If you can accept that this is part of my history, part of who I am and I can't go back and change things but just remember that I'm not that person anymore. Well, I'm not that monster anymore."

Elena nodded and then he told her everything about Isobel. How he turned her, how he had enjoyed it and how he hadn't even remembered her face until Elena had so brutally told him in the other reality of what he had done.

Elena listened in shock not sure how she was going to cope with all of this. She had barely coped when she had found out that she was adopted, but she was Elena. In the end she was a strong person. She could be shaken up but she would always come back fighting. This time was no different.

"Ok," she murmured. "Ok. I can handle this. This doesn't change anything that I just said. I have faith in you but...I do still need some time. Can you give me time?"

Well, at least she wasn't putting a stake through his heart. This had to count for something. He nodded. "I have all the time in the world."

Just as he was turning to leave she called out his name again. He would never get tired of hearing her say his name. "Thank you for being honest with me. In the other reality if you had just told me in the first place...I probably would have still been mad at you for a long time. Not talked to you in months maybe. But it wouldn't have been so bad. Now I know that eventually I will get passed it. But I have a question. If you know how to time travel how come you can't just go back and change what happened to my mother?"

"Because in the future your mother is important. She helps us, Elena. I can't risk it because we need all the help we can get. And at the moment I don't know exactly how much of the future I've changed and I can't exactly remember the spell Bonnie used."

Elena's eyes widened in surprise. "Bonnie? Bonnie helped you? The same Bonnie who doesn't like you very much right now...you or Stefan? Wow, that's amazing. But we can just ask her grandmother if she knows the spell."

"Some things you just can't change no matter how much you want to. Speaking of that Elena...you might want to call Bonnie. "

...

Everyone was in shock at what had happened to Bonnie's grandmother. And everyone who was at the tomb new it was the spell that had weakened her. Elena wrote in her diary almost every day trying to clear her head hoping that the answers would come to her. She knew about her mother now and she had rung Stefan to tell him. Angry at first that he and Alaric both knew this before she had, she soon realised that she couldn't go through the rest of her life feeling angry at everyone around her...she wouldn't survive long if she did that. Jenna helped by giving her some information, even though she knew all she needed to know thanks to Damon!

She had also kept in touch with Lexi, finding out how Stefan was coping. Stefan and Lexi both knew that she knew the truth about everything now and she was glad that everything was out in the open. The only thing left to do was for her to talk to Stefan and then she could be free to do whatever she wanted. That talk wouldn't be easy, but it had to be done. In the other reality, he hadn't been able to handle things at all. But then, he had been trapped with Katherine all that time after she had told him. This time he had a whole support system that would hopefully make things different.

She told Damon that she was going to have the talk with Stefan and Damon had wanted to be there, but she had said no. She had to do this by herself, it was the only way.

So while Elena was trying to let Stefan go...permanently, the easy way, Damon had his own talking to do.

He had decided to talk to Alaric before anything else happened. It didn't go as well as everything else seemed to go. He ended up telling Alaric about his wife and the ring that she had given him had actually worked but then Alaric had proceeded to pummel him to death for even talking about his wife. Damon had let him beat the crap out of him, and luckily for him he had super healing powers as a vampire otherwise he would have a nasty black eye. Possibly two and some cuts and bruises too go along with it.

Stefan on the other hand, was taking things remarkably calmly. "Well, I can't say that no one didn't see it coming," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Elena blinked in surprise. "Well...that's it?"

"O f course. You're dumping me. Again. What's left to say?"

Elena shrugged. "Nothing I guess I just...I don't want to hurt you. I don't want you to be angry with me."

His expression softened ever so slightly. "Elena, break ups are hard, you can never find an easy way to do it. And...of course I'm upset and a little angry that you chose Damon. But..." he swiftly moved to interrupted her when he said that. He could tell she was going to start protesting.

"Listen to me Elena. If you and Damon are going to worry that I'm going to turn all evil, well you can stop, ok? You both know that if it wasn't for Katherine and the circumstances I would never do the things that Damon says I did. And at least you came to me before anything happened between you two. I'm thinking in that other reality you came to me after you guys had kissed or something and that has to be worse to take. And of course Katherine. Maybe being a monster is a part of who I am but, I have it under control I promise."

"Well, Damon told me about my mother. So I said I needed some time to think things through. I don't really know what to do."

There was a silence between them. "Well, if you're asking for my blessing that will be a long time in coming. But I don't hate you. And I don't hate Damon. We both know he's changed. After all, he came all the way through time at a great risk to himself to make things right between us all. We can't forget that."

Elena sighed, grateful for his words. "No, we can't forget that."

...

So Elena spent her time trying to figure things out and for almost two weeks she made it without seeing Damon or Stefan. It was hard, very hard for her not to pick up the phone to hear Damon's voice, or just walk over there to feel his arms around her, having him comfort her and tell her it was going to be ok. She needed help and advice from her girlfriends, But Caroline had her own problems and insecurities with Matt, and had even asked Elena to go on a double date with them. She had had to inform Caroline that she and Stefan had broken up, which had taken to Caroline snapping at her.

"Well, that's just perfect. I guess you're back to your old self again. Miss, I always get whatever I want and I will trample over anyone to get it. You went from Matt to Stefan and let me guess, you like Damon now, since you guys were at the dance together."

"It's not like that," she had tried to protest, but Caroline was relentless.

"It's exactly like that!I thought that Stefan was supposed to be the one. But then years ago, when you saw how popular Matt was becoming, you said Matt was the one. Maybe everyone you can't have is the one Elena."

"I have changed Caroline. Ever since the accident I'm different. And so is Damon. You don't understand anything." Thoughts of the car accident made her feel guilty again. While Damon had come through time to save her life, she couldn't forget that Stefan had saved her life the first time. He had saved her from drowning and she had never known until recently. She had to sort this out!

Caroline had apologised soon after, probably fearing that if Matt heard what she said there would be hell to pay. But she couldn't talk to Caroline for a while after that. It was just one more thing she had to fix and she wasn't up to it. She knew that Caroline felt second best to her and she hated it, so she really didn't think Matt was the best choice for her friend. But how could she tell her that when she was in the mood she was in?

And Bonnie was still grieving for her grandmother. And the double date would have been a disaster anyway.

She knew that two weeks wasn't long enough time to decide anything. She had been with Stefan for nearly a year and that was a long time to just forget someone. But she couldn't forget Damon either. But she had to see them all again soon...they needed to sort out Anna and Pearl. There had been some attacks recently in the woods and she trusted that it wasn't Damon the way he had changed, and Stefan or Lexi would have let her know. So it was something else. Oh it was so hard...but she had to do it. Tonight. They had to talk tonight.

...

Damon woke up from a bad dream. In it people were sad and crying. Bonnie was crying, because Caroline and Matt had died and no one knew what to do next.

He was sure he had prevented some things from happening, hopefully they were still alive. But there was only one way to know that the future would be changed for good. He had a plan now. It wasn't time yet but when the time was right he hoped that he would be strong enough to actually do what needed to be done.

But first he knew he had to sort out the mess that was vampire's escaping from the tomb...and he knew no one would be happy to hear about that. They hadn't been the first time round!

TBC

Remember to review...they make me so happy!


	14. Chapter 14

So, this is the last chapter. I hope it wraps everything up. I was going to add maybe another couple of chapters, but the next couple of weeks are going to be busy with me packing and moving into a new house...so I thought I'd better wrap this up now. I do have some more story ideas though, another Damon/Elena story of course, and maybe a Caroline/Tyler story if anyone interested. Maybe have to wait until after we move though!

Chapter 14

In the end, Damon was the one who called Elena. It was time to work out a plan about what would happen next. If any of the next future events came true...at least the ones to do with Stefan, then they were back on the path to a dark future and the whole point was to change things.

He told Elena it was strictly business in her coming round to the Salvatore home. It was very awkward, with her standing automatically near Damon and Stefan and Lexi standing together opposite them.

He told them that over the next few days, Stefan would be kidnapped and held hostage by the vampires that escaped from the tomb. When he had gone to save him the first time round with Elena following him...against his will of course, things had gone wrong after Stefan had escaped. A vampire leaped on him taking him by surprise and wounded him. He would have died had Elena not given him her blood. But that would be a mistake in the fact that Stefan got addicted to human blood again, hiding it from Elena and Damon and then at the Miss Mystic falls event he failed to turn up with Elena because he was busy hurting a human and drinking her blood.

He gets over this addiction eventually, Damon told them all at their horrified looks, but he was sure that it didn't help things in the tomb with Katherine playing her mind games on him and bringing up the past and tempting him with images of fresh human blood. It had been his weakness.

So this time round, they would all go, the vampires would be dusted and Elena would stay behind, removing temptation. But Stefan wouldn't get harmed in anyway because Lexi would be there watching out for him.

This plan worked out pretty well, except that of course they didn't get all of the vampires from the tomb and Elena hated the fact that she had to stay behind yet again. She had to put up with Lexi in a hyper mood after the fight telling her stories in an exaggerated way. Jeremy would find out about Elena not really being his sister and that she was lying to him about the supernatural by reading her diary. But at least they definitely didn't have to worry about Stefan going all dark side on them again.

That was when he told them all about the invention. He wouldn't tell them everything yet, it was getting to be an overload of information. And he still wasn't sure when to tell them all that the council of the town knew about vampires and the supernatural. Or if he even should, yet.

The next few weeks were hard for Elena. She had so much to figure out. At least most of it was normal stuff though. Her and Jeremy had to get used to the fact that they were no longer true blood brother and sister. She had to get used to her uncle John Gilbert turning up unexpectedly keeping true to his word that he would turn up.

She had so many questions she was burning to ask Damon. She wasn't sure at all why she had the ability suddenly to see into the future when she kissed him. It was scaring her and she felt she had no one to turn to for help. The highlight for her though, was when Damon finally broke their time apart by reminding her that she didn't have a date for the Miss Mystic falls Gala, and that she wouldn't want to be embarrassed by dancing alone or have to drop out because it had been what her mother wanted her to do. It was her highlight because he behaved like a perfect gentleman and surprised her with his wonderful dancing skills...and afterwards, hidden from view of the townspeople, she had been very un-lady like and they shared a kiss that definitely would have sent the gossips of the town talking none stop for days. They had agreed to take it slow but she had missed his company so much she couldn't help herself and things had spiralled out of control.

This time she didn't see anything...maybe she had seen everything she needed to see. If she ever had a chance to catch her breath, whenever that might be, she would have to ask Damon. Maybe it was a side effect of the spell that Bonnie cast in the future?

But then when her mother turned up in town she needed Damon by her side more than ever. Her mother didn't answer any of her questions and Elena was slightly mad at Damon that he hadn't warned her in advance about Isobel's surprise visit.

Bonnie eventually managed to listen to reason and let Elena in finally. They had a good heart to heart talk about everything that had been going on. Elena told Bonnie all of it, who her birth mother was and what was going on with Damon. Bonnie was having a hard time believing it all but she told Elena about the invention that Isobel had been talking about wanting to find. It was an invention meant to be deadly to all vampires. They didn't know how yet.

Bonnie still didn't know why Anna and Pearl were still alive and in truth, Elena didn't know either. She had promised Bonnie's grandmother and Bonnie that they would be dealt with. But Pearl had given Damon the invention as an apology and Anna was growing increasingly close to Jeremy. She had even enrolled in the high school to be closer to him. Damon was being very cryptic, she explained to Bonnie, but maybe Anna and Pearl, or at least Anna, were still alive in the future and helping them. Maybe they could trust them after all.

Bonnie hadn't looked impressed. But she must forgive Elena eventually after all of this, and care about her a lot, otherwise she wouldn't help Damon in the future. Although, Elena could understand why Bonnie would hold a grudge. It was a lot for anyone to take. Bonnie would never forgive Damon or Stefan or any vampire involved in the opening of the tomb for the death of her grandmother.

The whole mess with her mother left her weakened, frightened and vulnerable and it was about to get a whole lot worse.

...

It was Founder's Day. Already. It had gone by so quickly. Damon was actually enjoying being a part of the team now and he and Elena were...together. She was surprising him in so many ways all the little things that she did to make him laugh. When she reached out to hold his hand or when she gave him a spontaneous hug. It almost made him feel human again.

He knew that she wasn't Katherine. She never would be anything like her and for that he was grateful. He loved her for who she was and he would die to protect her.

As for his final plan, he was working on it. He had had a long talk with Bonne.

"I know that what we are asking you to do is a lot. De activating this device is going against everything that you believe in. But if you do this a lot of people get hurt. The device goes off, vampires get trapped. And in the eyes of humans that's a good thing I guess. But Anna gets killed and that hurts Jeremy and trust me...you don't want anything to hurt Jeremy in the future."

She stared at him in confusion, letting his words sink in.

"I know that Elena told you the truth and that's ok, Bonnie. I'm glad you know. So you know that in the future you're the one who sends me back and helps me. You trust me then. Trust me now. You want to deactivate this device. If you don't...Tyler Lockwood gets involved in a car crash with Matt and Caroline inside. Caroline gets hospitalized because she needs surgery, she has internal bleeding. But this makes her a perfect victim for Caroline and in the future she is a vampire. I almost get burned alive by John Gilbert, an experience I don't want to relive again thank you very much! So please, Bonnie. If you value your friendship at all with Elena...you will do this for me."

He had watched as Bonnie performed the spell on the device before they had given it to Isobel, still not knowing if his words had got through to her or not, but he hoped that they had.

Since he wasn't a part of the council in this reality and was enrolled in the high school this time round, he was a part of the Founder's day event. Stefan was choosing not to take part...he didn't have any reason too. But he seemed to be having a lot of fun with Lexi, who was enjoying making fun out of them all in their fancy dress, telling them it was very lame and the time had already been and gone, why bother revisiting it again?

But they watched in the crowd as the floats went by, waving at Elena and Damon, who were showing the whole town that they were together, even if no one had guessed it. Elena hadn't wanted to hurt Stefan, and Damon hadn't wanted to risk anything, but Stefan was easily distracted.

Damon hated to admit it but he was looking forward to the fight tonight. He, Lexi and Stefan, and Alaric and Bonnie, would take out the vampires from the tomb that were left one by one. It had been a long time since he had had a good fight. He may be wearing a white hat now, be one of the good guys, but that didn't mean he didn't have issues that he needed to work through. Issues that a good fight to the death made him feel better about. Some of the time he still wanted to feel like he was dangerous and that he could scare another vampire, or anyone off with just a look.

The fight was over pretty quickly. Although they were tough, Damon was tougher. With Bonnie managing to turn a couple of vamps into dust using a fire spell, and Alaric's quick reflexes...he was good for a human, and very lucky! The vampire's numbers were decreasing fast. Damon, Lexi and Stefan were an impressive whirlwind of movement making it look easy. Damon wished he had done this the first time round...it was so much fun! He finally felt like he was free. Free to do whatever he wanted, to not be worried about the future anymore. As he staked each vamp, a glimpse of future events flashed into his mind and he felt everything fading away. Elena's death, what happened to all of her friends afterwards, everything. It was all different now. Because in his mind...after this fight with the vampires, there was one thing he was going to do that he should have done a long time ago. Something that would make sure the future stayed unwritten.

He came out of Elena's house. He hadn't been upstairs talking to a Jeremy who was on the verge of suicide because Anna wasn't dead now. He had been talking...or threatening John telling him what a dick he was. He stepped outside and smiled at Elena as she came up the steps towards him.

"I feel like I'm finally waking up from a long nightmare and everything is different now. Everything is going to be better from now on."

She looked at him with a puzzled expression. "I'm glad for you," she whispered.

"Although, I would like to thank you. Without you, I wouldn't be who I am today." He leaned forward and kissed her, remembering the first time this happened and that he had been stupid not to realise the truth. Her eyes widened in horror when she felt the wooden stake pierce through her skin. He felt her stiffening in his arms.

"Hello Katherine. Goodbye Katherine," he whispered, glad that everything was finally over, and that he had saved his brother.

She fell to the floor, her skin going even paler, returning to what she should have been all those years ago. Nothing but a dead body. He took a deep breath and smiled.

Whatever happened next for him and Elena, he was sure that it would be perfect without Katherine's shadow hanging over them.

This was his happy ending.

The End

Well, that's it! Hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you think. I know some people might be annoyed that I killed off Katherine, but she is one reason Stefan turns evil in the future so she had to go. I do love her in season two, but i am still waiting for her to die and Elena be turned into a vampire like in the books. Doubt it will happen but anyway lol. And I left it up to you to guess who Jeremy ends up with, Anna or Bonnie because I like both couples! Anyway after I move will be a while before I get the internet until they set it all up again so...wish me luck! Thank you for reading.


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